Contracts Flashcards
What does Design &Build mean
- Type of JCT contract following Deign and Build Procurement route
- Used when appointing a contractor to design, then construct a project
What is a 2 stage tender procurement route?
Used to enable early appointment of a contractor.
First stage, a limited appointment is agreed to enable the contractor to begin works
Second stage, a fixed price is negotiated for the contract.
Used frequently in D&B procurement routes
What is single stage tendering?
Traditional route of tendering, used when all available information available is used to produce a fixed price
Tenders are received, reviewed and then a contractor is selected for the works.
What is a contract?
A legally binding agreement (between two parties) to provide goods and services within a specified timeframe.
What is necessary to form a contract?
- Offer Acceptance (or counter offer)
- Consideration Intention (to be legally bound)
- Capacity (to make agreement) (e.g. power of attorney on behalf of a company)
How is a contract executed?
- Under hand, 6 year limitation period. Means that a party must bring about any claim within 6 years of the breach taking place. Any later and the claim will be time-barred.
- Under Seal (as a deed), signed and witnessed, 12 year limitation period.
What are common contract documents?
The Contract (with any amendments)
- Preliminaries
- Contract sum analysis/Pricing Schedule
- Drawings
- Specification
- Planning conditions/agreements - Contractors Proposals
What are the main contract suites?
- JCT
- NEC
- FIDIC
- ICE
Why use standard forms of contract?
- They are cheaper than getting a bespoke contract drawn up
- Offer a level of familiarity between the parties
- Tried and tested contracts in court, therefore you should be able to predict the outcome in the courts.
Why wouldn’t you use a bespoke contract?
- Costly and time consuming
- Not familiar
- Not tried and tested
What should you consider when selecting the contract?
- Criteria of the client
- Procurement method
- Nature of the works
- Timing (time to spend time producing robust contract?
When is a JCT Minor Works contract NOT suitable?
- Complex works
- Detailed control procedures
When was NEC3 published?
2005 Used by both the ICE and Government
What are the perceived problems with NEC3 Contracts?
- Admin heavy
- Requires expertise to operate properly
What is a compensation event?
Events that occur during the course of the works that cause the completion date to be changed, or additional cost to the contractor
What might a Compensation Event include?
- Variations
- Instructions to change contracted services
- Failure to provide access
- Late issue of information from client
- exceptionally adverse weather
- Acts of God
What is the Contract Administrators/Employers Agent role under JCT?
- Issue instructions
- Certify payment
- Issue Extensions of time
- Consider all Variations, Loss and expense claims, interim applications
- Assess when practical completion has been achieved.
Who is the Employers Agent?
- Used in D&B contracts to ensure clients interests are met
What is the Main Contractor responsible for?
- Construction of the project
- Health and safety during construction
- Construction phase plan
- Provide welfare facilities
- Site inductions
What is Novation?
- Where a contract is passed from one party to another.
- Used in D&B for design teams
Is the contractor responsible for the Novated party’s design prior to Novation?
No, unless they state they have adopted the design.
What is Assignment?
- Where the contractual benefits of a contract are passed from one party to another.
- Such as the assignment of a collateral warranty from one tenant/operator to another.
What is a Collateral warranty?
A way of forming a direct contractual link between two parties which otherwise wouldn’t have a link, such as between a sub-contractor and a client.
What are third party rights?
- An alternative to Collateral Warranties
- They allow a third party to be written into a contract Introduced as part of the Contracts