Contract Practice Flashcards
What are the different forms of standard building contract available in the UK?
JCT
NEC
FIDIC
Where are the different contract suits commonly used?
- JCT – most commonly used
- NEC – more suited to engineering contracts
- FIDIC – more suited to large international project e.g. Channel Tunnel
What is the JCT and what are their suite of contracts?
Joint Contracts Tribunal, formed in 1931 Suit of Contracts includes: • Standard (with quants, without, with approx.) • Intermediate • Minor works • Design and Build
What are the advantages with a standard form of contract? How is it formed?
The advantages of a Standard Building Contract include:
• Developed over a long period
• Has input from legal, client, contractor, local authority
• Has more case law
• Less costly and time consuming to produce than a bespoke contract.
• Guidance notes available
What is an intermediate Contract?
- Contract for simple works without any major complex service adjustments
- It is a form of traditional procurement
- Design must be in place
- Can have sectional completion
What is included in a payment notice?
- Date
- Issue number
- Contract sum
- Valuation sum
- Valuation sum minus retention
- Valuation sum minus amount previously certified
What are the timelines for payment? Where can this information be found?
- Interim valuation/applications date is stipulated in the contract, and is same day each month (or nearest business day).
- This is outlined in section 4 of the contract particulars
- Contractor can submit their application, is 7 days to review.
- CA/EA has 5 days from the due date to issue payment notice/cert.
- Employer has 14 days from the due date to issue payment.
- Payment timelines are outlined in Section 4 of the Conditions (4.9)
What is Practical Completion? What does it Trigger?
• When all works in the contract have been deemed to be completed and the client can take occupation.
- The point at which a building project is complete, except for minor/ de minimis defects that can be put right without undue interference or disturbance to an occupier.
- The contractor has complied with clauses 2.37 and 3.16
• It releases half of the retention
• Ends the contractor’s liability for LD’s
• Starts the defects liability period
- The client to carry out its own FRA.
What documentation is required at PC?
- Testing and commission certs
- Health and safety files
- Building control sign off
- O&M’s
- Clients insurance in place
What is sectional completion and what is partial possession?
- Sectional completion is defined in the contract
- Partial possession is not determined in the contract, and is up to the contractors discretion to grant.
- Both will mean that section is ‘practically complete’
- LD’s will cease for that period.
- Contractors decide whether to grant partial possession.
What are staged payments?
- OPTION A in the contract
- Pre-agreed stages defined in the contract particulars – milestones in the project
- On completion of the stage, payment is awarded.
What is the interim payment process? Where is this specified in the contract?
- OPTION B
- Payment at agreed specific dates throughout the project, usually on a monthly basis.
- This is outlined in the contract particulars and timings in section 4 of the contract conditions.
What guidance documents are available?
- RICS – Appropriate Contract Selection
* JCT – Guide to selecting the appropriate JCT
What is the difference between an Employers Agent and a Contract Administrator?
- CA = Standard form/ traditional of contract. Role only takes place when in contract. Administer the contract impartially.
- EA = D&B role takes place before contract.
What is a material/non-material breach?
- Material – serious breach. End contract
* Non-material – claim damages
What is the Housing, Grants and Regeneration Act?
- Ensure payments are mad promptly
* Any project over 45 days must have interim payments
What did the update to the Housing grants and regeneration act include?
- Dates for payment must be included in the contract
* If client fails to issue payment notice, contractor can issue default payment notice. (ISG vs Ceevic college)
What contract suite do you have experience in?
The JCT Suite, mainly D&B.
What do you know about NEC?
Both another form of contracts to choose from but I do not have experience in these.
NEC:
- Written in simple language.
Defects correction period is 2 – 3 weeks
- There is no QS.
- There are no provisional sums
- There are options for target cost contracts
- The programme is a contractual document
- Payment is located in three separate sections of the contract as opposed to JCT where it is all found in one - clause 4.
JCT deals with time and money separately with EOTs whereas NEC will deal with both time and money.
What does NEC stand for?
New Engineering contract
What is an EA?
- JCT D&B contract
- EA represents the client on all matters
- Role can commence at appointment rather than when the building contract starts.
What is a CA?
- JCT Traditional contract
- Solely responsible for administering the contract.
- An impartial role
- Commences when the building contract commences.
What is an interim valuation?
The payment process at interim stage of the project, set out at clause 4.7 and the contract particulars refer.
What are the payment timescales for a D&B contract?
This depends on whether you have opted for alternative A or B.
Alternative B is periodic payments, monthly.
- Contractor makes an interim application (7 days prior to due date)
- QS makes its recommendation within 2 days of the due date.
- +5 days of the due date for the payment notice by EA
- Pay Less Notice if applicable (no later than 5 days prior to final date for payment)
- Final date for payment of an interim payment is 14 days from its due date.
What is a Making Good certificate?
When the defects identified have been made good, the EA shall issue a notice to that effect. Shows that defects have been made good and the final certificate can be issued.
What is a client monitoring team?
- After novation a CMT can be appointed to stay client side and oversee and monitoring the progress.
What did you do in terms of PC when you were receiving pressure from the client and the contractor?
- Explain the risks to the client.
- Obtain written confirmation from both parties to certify.
- If really in doubt you should advise your client to seek legal advice.
Why did the client agree a lease when PC had not been issued?
It was under the impression that PC would be issued following promises from the contractor to complete works in December but this was not achieved until April.
What was considered a health and safety/ life safety risk and how did you conclude that no items fell into these categories?
- Fire related issues
- Statutory requirement
- Building control final certificate
- MEP testing and witnessing of services and certification for use
- Emergency lighting
- CDM requirements have been met
- Domestic water compliance documentation
- Floor pressure certificates
- Cause and effect
- Black building testing
Regular liaison with the professional team of when these items were signed off and took advice on what could be completed post PC.
What does the JCT document ‘Deciding on the appropriate JCT contract’ outline/
To be answered .
What is an EOT?
To be answered.
How do you manage and conclude an EOT?
To be answered.
What are the risks of partial possession?
To be answered.
What partial possession agreed in the contract?
To be answered.
What is needed for a contract to be agreed?
o Offer o Acceptance o Consideration o Intent to create legal relations o Capacity
What is the purpose of a contract?
- The first documents asked for when you need there is a dispute.
- Outlines the rights and duties of all the parties
- Risk allocation
What needs to be considered when selecting a form of contract?
- decide on the appropriate procurement method.
- Parties must understand their respective rights and obligations and how risks are allocated between them.
- Understand the contracts available.
- Are amendments required.
- Insurance obligations.
What alternative forms of contracts are you aware of?
I’m aware of partnering but do not have experience in this.
- openess, shared vision, collaboration, rather than confrontational.
- Still needs to be formalised.
What are schedule of amendments?
Agreed amendments to the standard forms of contracts.
What is Design and Build?
- The design is taken to a particular stage and then handed over to the contractor to complete the design. - Provides greater cost certainty,
- single point of responsibility for project owners
- high quality results,
- greater opportunity for VE,
- faster delivery.
What is Traditional Procurement?
- Breaks down as design, bid and build.
- Design team delivers the complete design documents.
What is a Performance bond?
- A bond issued by a bank or other financial institution, guaranteeing the fulfilment of a particular contract.
- A means of insuring a client against the risk of a contractor failing to fulfil contractual obligations.
- Typically set at 10% of the contract value.
What is a parent company guarantee?
- A company that controls another ‘subsidiary’ company.
- Form of security that may be required by clients to protect them in the event of default on a contract by a contractor that is controlled by a parent company.
- Default may be caused by insolvency.
What is a collateral warranty?
Agreements which are associated with another primary contract. They provide for a duty of care to be extended by one of the contracting parties to a third party who is not party to the original contract.
What is a warranty?
- Legally binding assurance or promise.
- Assurance that one party to another that goods/ services will meet certain expectations. E.g. fit for purpose.
What types of insurance are you aware of?
- Contractor’s All Risk insurance - physical damaged all risk policy on material used in construction
- Employer’s liability - Legal liability of the employer for any illness, injury or death suffered by employees.
- Professional indemnity - Awards of damages, costs or settlements from a negligence claim.
- Public liability - Standard cover to provide indemnity for damages or compensation arising from accidental injury to third parties.
What is Contractor’s All Risk insurance?
- Cover referring to only material damage covered on the contract works.
- Contract doc will say who is to provide this cover.
- Should be taken out in joint names of the employer and contractor.
What are recitals?
These are what contextualise the agreement, giving factual explanations for the basis of the contract.
What are articles?
these set out what is agreed between the parties?
What are contract particulars?
This section sets out the aspects of the contract that are particular to the project to which the contract relates. it is a schedule for the variables in the agreement and conditions.
What is attestation?
The assestation is the process of confirming that something is correct or genuine, or that a particular requirement has been met.
What are the conditions of a D&B contract?
- Definition and interpretation
- Carrying out the works
- Control of the Works
- Payment
- Changes
- Injury, damage and insurance
- Assignment, Performance bonds and guarantees, third party rights and collateral warranties
- Termination
- Settlement of Disputes