We all remember the pearls of wisdom gleaned from our first boss. In my case, one such piece of advice turned out to be particularly true:
“A million things can go wrong on a construction project and a hundred things usually do”.
- What are my rights and obligations if I don’t have a formal contract?
- How can I get paid?
- Can you set-off monies against a payment certificate?
- Do I have a claim?
- Who takes the risk for ground conditions?
- Can they remove unfixed materials from site?
- Can I suspend works or terminate the contract?
- How should varied work be valued?
- Is the Employer entitled to use float in the contractor’s programme?
- How do you prove disruption or uneconomic working?
- Do I Arbitrate or Litigate or should I consider mediation?
- What is a time bar clause?
- I’ve just received a statutory demand?
- Is a vesting certificate worth the paper it is written on?
- Do I have to execute a collateral warranty?
- Is it a global claim?
- What is the difference between fitness for purpose and reasonable skill and care?
- Is compensation payable if there are concurrent causes of delay?
- Can I recover retention money from the liquidator?
- Under what circumstances can a claim for unabsorbed overheads be made out?
- Is the defect a design or workmanship issue or a mixture of both?
- Is the letter of intent really a binding contract?
- Am I jointly and severally liable?
- Can the contract be assigned to a third party?
- Is the retention of title clause effective?
- How do I claim on a performance bond?
- I’ve been served with a conditional garnishee order?
Whatever the issue, the initial query usually is: “What should I do?”
My longstanding clients know that that they can contact me informally at any time to get an initial steer on any particular issue that may be of concern. I extend this invitation to YOU.