Level 3 - Contract Practice Flashcards
- 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?
and/or
What is required 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, signed by both parties, 6 year limitation period. Means that a party must bring about any claim for breach of contract 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. Valuable consideration not required,
What are common in 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 (Joint Contract Tribunal)
- NEC (New engineering contract)
- FIDIC (International federation of Consulting engineers)
- ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers)
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?
- They are costly to produce and time consuming
- Contractors do not like them, as they regularly put alot of the risk onto the contractor
- They are not tried and tested like a standard form
What should you consider when selecting the contract?
- The criteria of the client;
- Nature of the works and the complexity of the project;
- The procurement method you are going to use
- Timings –> are the works required to start quickly or do you have time to produce a robust set of documents
What standard forms of contract do you know that are offered by JCT?
- Standard Building Contract 2016
- Intermediate Building Contract 2016
- Minor works Building contract 2016
- Major Projects building contract 2016
- Design and build contract 2016
- Management Building contract 2016
- Construction management contract 2016
- Prime cost building contract 2016
Can you name some NEC standard contract forms?
NEC - Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC)
- Option A, Priced contract w/ Activity Schedule
- Option B, Priced contract w/ BoQ
- Option C, Target contract w/ Activity Schedule
- Option D, Target contract w/ BoQ
- Option E, Cost reimbursable
- Option F, Management contract
MW
When is a JCT Minor Works contract NOT suitable?
- Complex projects
- Detailed control procedures
- Where there are named Sub-Contractors
MPCC
Can you provide more information on the JCT Major project construction contract?
- Used on large , complex project by experienced clients
- They place most of the risk on the contractor
- Has sub-contract derivatives
D&B
Can you provide more information on the JCT Design and Build Contract?
- Used by Clients to create a single point of responsibility for the design and construction with the contractor
- Can be used on projects of all sizes
- Client must produce the Employers Requirements
MC
Can you provide more information on the JCT Management Building Contract?
- Used then a management contracting route is chosen
- Used by experienced clients who understand the construction costs
- No real cost certainty until all packages are let
- Works are completed by a number of ‘Works Contractors’ who are placed under a management work contract.
- Works Contractors are contracted to the Management Contractor
- Management Contractor is a fee earning professional, which is added to the final construction costs.
CM
Can you provide more information on the JCT Construction management contract?
- Used where a CM procurement route is chosen
- Used by experienced clients who understand the construction costs
- No real cost certainty until all packages are let
- Works are completed by a number of ‘Trade Contractors’, who are placed under a ‘Construction Management Trade Contract’.
- Trade contractors are contracted directly with the client
- The Construction Manager is only responsible for looking after the programme and construction.
Can you provide more information on the JCT Prime Cost Building Contract?
- Used on projects which require an early/quick start
- Usually on a cost plus basis, as the extent of the works are not known until the project is underway
- Has sub-contract forms
NEC
Can you provide more information on the NEC Option A contract?
Priced Contract with an Activity Schedule
- For all types of clients, the balance of risk is mainly with the contractor
- It comes with/requires an activity schedule, containing a list of activities the contract expects is required to complete construction.
- Lump sum
NEC
Can you provide further information on the NEC Option B contract?
Priced Contract with a Bill of Quantities
- For all types of clients, the risk is mainly with the contractor
- Comes with a detailed BoQ, which can either be produced by the client or Contractor, which is a detailed statement of all the works that will be undertaken.
- Lump sum
When was NEC3 published?
2005
Used by both the ICE and Government
What are the perceived problems with NEC3 Contracts?
- Very admin heavy
- Requires alot of expertise to operate effectively
- Focuses too much on Project Management
- Cost information in relation to compensation events can take a long time. PM regularly has to decide how to proceed based on a cost estimate from the QS, which then gets replaced by the actual costs.
What are the specialities with NEC?
- No Contract Administrator required, replaced by a Project Manager
- Compensation Events as opposed to variations, extensions of time, loss and expense etc.
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 as a result to the client
What might a Compensation Event include?
- Variations
- Instructions to changes contracted services
- Failure to provide access
- Late issue of information from client
- Failure by client to supply materials
- Instruction to halt/delay works
- Conditions that can’t have been reasonably foreseen
- Exceptionally adverse weather
- Acts of god.
What is the process for a compensation event?
- Contractor must notify the project manager within 8 weeks of the event becoming apparent with an EARLY WARNING NOTICE, if not notified in this period then it will not be considered.
- PM has 1 week to review the claim and respond
- Contractor has 3 weeks to provide a quotation
- PM has 2 weeks to respond to the quotation
- Final costs of works calculated on a cost-reimbursable basis
What is the Project Managers role under NEC contracts?
- Manage programme
- Operate early warning mechanism
- Issue instructions
- Issue outcomes for compensation events
- Determine when practical completion has been achieved
- Assess defects
What is the Contract Administrators/Employers Agent role under JCT?
To manage the Contract:
- 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?
A ‘Client-representative’ in the Design & Build Contract
- -> ensuring that the Clients’ best interests are met.
- -> administering the Contract on behalf of the Client.
What is the Main Contractor responsible for?
Role:
The construction of the project, through either direct labour or sub-contracted labour
Health & Safety:
As Principal Contractor then CDM regs apply;
- Construction phase plan
- Prepare, develop and implement written site plans
- Provide welfare facilities
- Ensure all workers have site inductions
- Provide all relevant information required for H&S plan to the Principle Designer
What is Novation?
When the benefits and burdens of a contract are passed from one party to another.
Ex:
Used in D&B to move the Design Team from Client-side to Contractor-side.
Is the Contractor responsible for the Novated party’s design prior to Novation?
No.
Uunless they state they have adopted the design.
What is an Assignment?
Where the benefits of a Contract are transferred from one party to another.
Such as the assignment of a collateral warranty from one tenant/operator to another.
When can the Assignment take place?
Anytime as this is a statutory right under the Law of Property Act.
However, the number of transfers is typically limited.
Give an example of how Assignment can be restricted?
Restricting the assignment of a collateral warranty to one time only, without the written consent of the warranter.
What is the aim of the Assignment?
They give the assignee the same rights as the assignor under the Contract.
What is a Collateral warranty?
A way of forming a direct contractual link between two parties that otherwise would not have a link
Ex:
Between a Sub-contractor and a Client.
Between a funder and the Design Team.
What case law do you know that relates to Collateral Warranties?
Parkwood Leisure v Laing O’Rourke
What happened in the case of ‘Parkwood Leisure v Laing O’Rourke’?
It was found that Collateral Warranties can be considered to be a construction contract.
–> Therefore, the CW was subject to the same provisions as the Construction Act (Housing Grant, Construction, Regeneration Act).
What Collateral Warranties do you know of?
- Collateral warranty for a Purchaser/Tenant
- Collateral warranty for an Employer
- Collateral warranty for a funder
What are Third Party Rights?
- An alternative to Collateral Warranties (similar to CW);
- They allow a third party to be written into a Contract rather than forming a CW contract.
- Introduced as part of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
What is the aim of Third Party Rights?
To give the Third-party the benefits of the contract only and no burdens.
Ex:
Writing in the tenant as a the third party will ensure that they receive all contractual benefits.
What is a Letter of Intent?
A document outlining an agreement between two parties, before a formal contract has been created.
Each letter of intent is different, with each being assessed based on it meaning.
How can a Letter of Intent be worded?
- An expression of the intention to enter into a contract at a future date, which doesn’t give rise to any legal obligation.
- The creation of an interim contract
- The creation of a legally binding contract, whereby the letter can be offered and accepted.
What can be included within a Letter of Intent?
Should include the key aspects of the Agreement / Contract:
- Contract sum;
- Instruction to proceed on a certain date;
- Site possession date;
- Completion date;
- Insurance provisions
What is a Title Retention clause?
Where the goods and services remain the property of the seller until a certain obligation is undertaken i.e. payment.
What is a Performance Bond?
A form of financial security –> used to cover the Client against the Contractor failing to fulfil their contractual obligations.
The Contractor applies for a bond;
To offer the Client a form of financial security;
Used to cover the Client against the Contractor, if they fail to execute their contractual obligations.
What are the typical values of a Performance Bond?
Typically 10% of the Contract Value.
What are the problems with bonds?
They will come at the Client’s cost –> Contractor will include this in their tender price, if it’s a Clients’ requirement.
What is a Retention Bond?
A ‘Bond’ is organised –> instead of taking retention from the interim valuations.
Purpose:
To improve the Contractors’ cash flow.
Why would you use a Retention Bond?
Purpose:
1. To provide financial security for the Client and create an incentive for the Contractor to complete their works.
- To improve the Contractors’ cashflow.
What is a Parent Company Guarantee?
Parent Company is a company owning smaller ‘sub’ companies.
A Parent Company Guarantee (PCG) is to protect the Client if the Contractor defaults and is a ‘Sub’ Company of a Parent Company –> then the Parent Company will compensate for it’s ‘Sub’ Company.
What is Professional Indemnity Insurance?
A form of insurance that covers professional negligence and a breach of duty of care.