L47506 Intro To ECC Delegate Handbook
L47506 Intro To ECC Delegate Handbook
In July 1994 Sir Michael Latham in his report “Constructing the Team” recommended that the
NEC should be adopted by clients in both the private and public sectors and suggested that it
should become a national standard contract across the whole of engineering and construction
work generally. Following that recommendation use of the NEC increased as did demand for
contracts to cover other contractual relationships. This led to new contracts being issued,
including ones covering professional services and subcontracting. Therefore the name “NEC”
became that used by this family of contracts, and the original NEC contract was renamed the
Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC).
By 2004 use of the NEC forms of contract had grown considerably, with employers from both
the private and public sectors reporting that it gave them better control of time, cost and quality
issues, as well as greatly improving the working relationship between the parties. Use in the
UK had grown to the extent that it had become the most popular form of contract in the civil
engineering sector and was beginning to make inroads into other sectors. In addition it was
being used in many other areas around the world.
In July 2005, NEC3 was launched as a complete review and update of the whole NEC family,
including the introduction of two new contracts, the Term Service Contract and the Framework
Contract.
In June 2017, NEC4 was launched, again as a complete review and update of the whole NEC
family, which in the intervening years had been extended by the introduction of the Supply
contracts and the Professional Services Short Contract. This update included a new Design
Build Operate contract and a consultative version of the Alliancing Contract, together with new
subcontract forms.
The objectives of the NEC contracts, including the Engineering and Construction Contract
(ECC) which we are considering, were to make improvements under three headings:
1.1 Flexibility
The Engineering and Construction Contract is intended, and is used
for engineering and construction work containing any or all of the traditional disciplines
such as civil, building, electrical and mechanical work, and process engineering,
whether the Contractor has full, some or no design responsibility,
to provide a wide variety of options for types of payment mechanisms such as priced,
target, cost reimbursable and management contracts,
to allocate risks to suit the particular project and
in the United Kingdom and abroad.
This flexibility enables the Client to choose a variety of options that best suits its specific
project and priorities.
It is arranged in a format which allows the user to gain familiarity with its contents, with a
separate numbered section of the contract to cover each of the main processes and the clause
numbering reflecting those sections. This format has been retained for all of the contracts in
the NEC family.
Clarity is further enhanced because the required actions for each process, who is to take them
and within what timescale, are all defined precisely thereby reducing the likelihood of disputes.
These processes have been drawn out as flow charts, which acted as a logistical check during
the drafting process.
Finally, subjective words like “fair”, “reasonable” and “opinion” have been used as little as
possible when dealing with decisions. Instead reasons for all decisions have to be stated.
The processes in the NEC concentrate on encouraging the parties to share their knowledge to
prevent problems occurring in the first place, unlike more traditional contracts which tend to
concentrate on allocating blame once they have gone wrong.
An example of foresight within the ECC is the early warning procedure and the management of
compensation events. Under the early warnings provision, the Project Manager and
Contractor notify each other upon becoming aware of any matter which could have an impact
on cost, time or quality. The compensation event procedure requires the Contractor within 3
weeks to submit a quotation(s) showing the time and cost effect of the event. The Project
Manager then responds to the quotation within 2 weeks enabling the matter to be resolved
properly close to the time of the event rather than many months or even years later.
The programme is also an important management document, and is much more than just the
traditional bar chart. It must also be regularly updated as work progresses and when changes
are made.
In total the ECC is designed to provide a modern method for Clients, Designers, Contractors
and Project Managers to work collaboratively and to achieve their objectives more consistently
than has been possible using other traditional forms of contract. People will be motivated to
play their part in collaborative management if it is in their commercial and professional interest
to do so.
Uncertainty about what is to be done and the inherent risks and liabilities can often lead to
disputes and confrontation but the ECC clearly allocates risks and liabilities and the
collaborative approach will reduce those for all the parties so that uncertainty will not arise.
The Client usually chooses which of the various modules to use, as follows
The core clauses and Schedule of Cost Components (appropriate to the main Option
chosen) are always used. These are not changed by any of the other NEC standard
options chosen.
One main Option is chosen, which determines the mechanism for payment of the
Contractor.
One dispute resolution Option is chosen.
Any secondary Options may be added as required in order to suit the project or the
Client’s objectives. Clauses prefixed with an X can be used in any legal jurisdiction
whereas those prefixed with a Y are for use in specific (stated) legal jurisdiction.
Any number of Z clauses may be added. However great care must be taken to ensure
that these are not inconsistent with any of the other clauses in the contract. In
addition, clauses that attempt to remove other standard NEC clauses should be very
carefully drafted to ensure that they do not have unintended effects on the contract.
In addition to these modules the contract will also require the preparation and inclusion of
certain other documents, including the Scope and Site Information. The extent of these
documents will depend upon the main and secondary Options chosen.
The clause numbers follow the section numbers. Thus the clauses in Section 1 are numbered
from 10 to 19, Section 2 from 20 to 29 and so on. This means that there are gaps in the clause
numbering, the most obvious of which is that there are no clause numbers 1 to 9.
the Schedule of Cost Components, which is used only in main Options C to F and
the Short Schedule of Cost Components, which is used only in main Options A and B.
There is also an increasing tendency for greater Contractor involvement in design, with the
increasing use of various design and build contracts, performance specifications and design,
early contractor involvement, and build, finance and operate projects.
Factors to take into account in deciding which of the main options to use from within the
Engineering and Construction Contract system include the following
Which party is to be responsible for design and/or which party has the necessary
design expertise?
How important is early commencement and/or rapid completion?
How important to the Client is certainty of price?
How clearly defined are the Client’s requirements, the Scope and Site Information?
What is the likelihood of change to those defined requirements?
What views prevail on the allocation of risk and where can risk be best managed?
Once the contract strategy has been decided, the main and secondary options can be selected
to suit that strategy.
Within the ECC, the Scope provides a statement of any part(s) of the work to be designed by
the Contractor. This can include:
Size or space limitations
Design standards and procedures
Loading and capacity requirements
Performance specifications
An Activity Schedule is a list of activities, usually prepared by the Contractor, which it expects
to carry out in Providing the Works. When the Contractor has priced it, the lump sum for each
activity is the Price to be paid by the Client in the assessment following completion of that
activity.
It is important to note that the Contractor gets paid nothing for each activity until it is complete.
Therefore the choice of activities to be listed will influence the Contractor’s cash flow. It is for
this reason that normally the Contractor, rather than the Client, chooses the activities.
Establishing and taking off the quantities of work involved to achieve the completion of each
activity is the responsibility of the tendering Contractors. The price for each activity is in effect
a lump sum for that activity and must include for everything necessary to complete the activity.
The sum of the tendered lump sums for each of the activities is the tendered price (the total of
the Prices) for the whole of the Works.
Option A is ideally suited to Contractor’s design but can be used for Client’s design or divided
design responsibility.
The contract requires that the Activity Schedule should relate to the operations on the
programme.
Where there is a significant amount of Contractor’s design, Option A should be used rather
than Option B, as it allows the Contractor to price the work and include the various design
stages within the Contractor’s Activity Schedule rather than the Client measuring the work
which would not be practical.
Most standard methods of measurement assume the work is fully detailed with no provision for
payment for the design activity. The tender bill of quantities require the design to be finalised
at tender enquiry.
When selecting Option B one should consider the merits of preparing and using bills of
quantities against other procurement methods. Do not select Option B just because in the
past, with other forms of contract, one has always begun the procurement process by
measuring the work!
The Contractor tenders a “target” price, called in the contract the total of the Prices, using
either an Activity Schedule (Option C) which the Contractor prepares, or a Bill of Quantities
(Option D) normally prepared by the Client. The Contractor also tenders its Fee in terms of a
percentage to be applied to Defined Cost. This Fee should include profit and all other costs
and overheads not covered by the Defined Cost.
During the course of the contract, the Activity Schedule or Bill of Quantities is not used to pay
the Contractor. Instead the Contractor is paid the Defined Cost plus the Fee, which is called
the Price for Work Done to Date (PWDD).
Under Option C the target is adjusted for compensation events, whilst under Option D, the
target is adjusted for compensation events and remeasurement.
At the end of the contract, the adjusted “target” is compared with the PWDD, and the
Contractor is paid (or pays) a share of the difference between the two according to a formula
stated in the Contract Data. If the final PWDD is less than the final target, the Contractor is
paid a share by the Client, if it is greater the Contractor has to pay a share to the Client. This
mechanism ensures that both parties share most financial risks and motivates them both to
reduce costs.
It therefore gives little incentive for the Contractor to minimise costs during construction, but
this particular strategy may be appropriate where time or quality are overriding priorities or
where the scope is not known. For instance
where scope of work is uncertain e.g. refurbishment
where extreme flexibility is required e.g. for enabling work
where a high level of Client involvement is envisaged
in emergency work (time driven)
where trials or work of an experimental nature is carried out.
The Option allows development of the design as the works proceed and permits maximum
flexibility in allocation of design responsibility.
The Contractor tenders its Fee and its lump sum price for the work the Contractor will carry out
itself.
The Contractor is then paid its tendered lump sum price for the work that the Contractor has
stated it will carry out itself plus the amounts paid to Subcontractors for all other work, plus the
Fee.
At this point the scope of the project is not fully developed. As the scope is developed and
construction progresses, successive works contracts can be awarded, but the interfaces
between these successive packages must be managed.
There is a procedure to refer a dispute to the Senior Representatives before it is referred to the
Adjudicator to attempt to resolve the dispute more informally.
The Senior Representatives are stated in the Contract Data; the Adjudicator, or the
organisation from which the Adjudicator is provided is also stated in the Contract Data.
Option W2: Adjudication, used when the United Kingdom Housing Grants, Construction
and Regeneration Act 1996 applies
This Option is essentially the same as W1 except that it conforms with the United Kingdom
Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, as subsequently amended by the
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (the Construction Act).
Time periods are therefore changed, and the ability to refer a dispute to the Senior
Representatives is optional, since an adjudication can be referred “at any time”. There are
other changes such as the decision on which Party pays for the adjudication.
Option X1 uses the formula method to allow for inflation. The indices to be used and the ratios
in which they are to be used are defined by the Client and included in the Contract Data part
one. With Options A and B these indices are applied to the amount that the Contractor is paid,
whereas with Options C and D they are applied to the “target” for the works.
The Contractor can propose another alternative guarantor, owned by the Contractor’s ultimate
holding company
In the ECC these damages are referred to as delay damages, rather than liquidated and
ascertained damages, as there are other damages applicable with respect to low performance
(Option X17) and interest on late payments (clause 51.2).
The Option also determines who owns the rights over the Project Information in the Information
Model.
The content of Option X12 is derived from the “Guide to Project Team Partnering” published by
the Construction Industry Council (CIC).
The amount of the payments is stated in the Contract Data part one together with any
requirements for a bond or security. The form of that bond or security is set out in the Scope.
If this clause is used and the Contractor corrects a Defect, which it is subsequently found not to
be liable for because it used the required standard of skill and care, that correction becomes a
compensation event.
If this Option is used, the retention percentage and any retention free amount must be stated in
Contract Data part one.
In the event that the Contractor produces defective work, the Client has three options
1. The Contractor corrects the Defect (clause 43.1).
2. If the Contractor does not correct the Defect, the Project Manager assesses the cost to
the Client of having the Defect corrected by Others and the Contractor pays this
amount (clause 45.1).
Where the performance in use fails to reach the specified level within the contract, the Client
can take action against the Contractor to recover any damages suffered as a result of the
breach. As an alternative, the Client recovers liquidated damages under Option X17 if it has
been selected.
If this Option is used, the Contractor may suggest proposals which reduce the whole life cost.
These may increase the project cost and/or duration.
The Option allows this pre-construction phase, a setting of the proposed forecast cost, and a
break point in the contract if agreement cannot be reached on scope and budget.
Options X23 and 24 are not used in the ECC; they are used in the TSC
Option Y(UK)2: The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
This Option applies in the UK only where the Act, as subsequently amended by the Local
Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, applies and deals only with
payment aspects. Adjudication under the Act is covered by Option W2.
If the Parties do not want any third parties to have rights, this Option needs to be used, and all
rights and third parties precluded.
Should it be necessary to amend standard clauses, all the changes should be shown under
Option Z. This ensures that all the changes are collated and highlighted in one area of the
contract. Any amendments or additions should be carefully drafted to avoid inconsistencies
with standard clauses. Use of the flow charts for this purpose is recommended.
The Contractor completes the information set out in the Contract Data part two, including the
pricing information, details of which will depend upon the main and secondary Options included
by the Client. In addition, the Contractor will also provide other information such as
Scope for any of the design it is to be responsible for,
priced activity schedule if Options A or C are used,
priced bill of quantities if Options B or D are used and
a programme.
The method of financial evaluation of the tender will depend upon the main Option chosen. It
should concentrate on likely out-turn costs rather than the initial price in the tender. For
Options A and B this may include an assessment of the costs of any compensation events and
the impact of the percentages and rates the Contractor has tendered for Fee and Defined Cost
in Contract Data part two.
For Options C and D, the financial assessment becomes more complicated. The price quoted
by the Contractor in its tender is only the “target” for the works. The Contractor will be paid its
Once a tender has been chosen the contract can be made by various means, either by way of
a formal Deed or by way of a simple letter accepting the Contractor’s tender. In either event
care must be taken to ensure that only those documents the parties want to be bound by are
included in the contract. In addition great care must be taken to properly record any agreed
changes made between the Parties in the post tender period.
Some of the more important identified and defined terms are considered below. Others are
explained in the relevant section.
Plant and Materials are what other contracts call the permanent works, i.e. that which is
specified in the Scope to be included in the works, for example permanent mechanical and
electrical installations.
Care should be taken to use Key Dates only for this reason. If the Client requires that a
geographical section of the works should be completed (as opposed to having reached a state
short of Completion) and handed over early then it is better to use Option X5.
If the Project Manager decides that the works have not met the stated condition for a Key Date
by that Key Date, and as a result the Client incurs additional cost on the project, that cost is
assessed by the Project Manager and paid by the Contractor (clause 25.3).
Key Dates are managed through the contract. They may be extended if they are affected by
compensation events. In addition, the Project Manager may instruct a change to a Key Date,
and in which case it is a compensation event (clause 60.1(4)).
The Scope should include the following information (Ref. Volume 2 “Preparing the ECC” for
more details):
Contractor’s design
A statement of those parts of the works which the Contractor is to design. On design and build
contracts the Client may have designed part of the works; the Contractor will then be
responsible for designing the remainder. Design criteria should also be included.
Completion
The work required to be done by the Completion Date for the whole of the works and if Option
X5 is used for each of the sections.
Subcontracting
Lists of acceptable subcontractors for specific tasks
Statement of any work which should not be subcontracted
Statement of any work which is required to be subcontracted
Programme
Any information which the Contractor is required to include in the programme in addition to
the information shown in clause 31.2.
Tests
Description of tests to be carried out by the Contractor, the Supervisor and others
including those which must be done before Completion.
Specification of materials, facilities and samples to be provided by the Contractor and
the Client for tests.
Specification of Plant and Materials which are to be inspected or tested before delivery
to the Working Areas.
Definition of tests of Plant and Materials outside the Working Areas which have to be
passed before marking by the Supervisor.
Title
Statement of any materials arising from excavation and demolition to which the Contractor
will not have title. (clause 73.2)
Others
There are also certain specific requirements for statements to be made in the Scope from
certain main and secondary Options in the conditions of contract. (Ref. Volume 2 -
“Preparing the ECC” for more details).
Clause 11.2(18) – Site Information
The documents in which the Site Information is contained are identified in the Contract Data
part one.
The Contractor is assumed to have taken the Site Information (amongst other things) into
account when judging what physical conditions it may encounter on the Site – see clause 60.2.
Therefore the more comprehensive and accurate the Site Information is the less likely it will be
that a compensation event under clause 60.1(12) will occur.
Clause 13 – Communications
Under clause 13.1, each communication which the contract requires is communicated in a form
which can be read, copied and recorded i.e. non verbal. The contract does not have provision
for verbal instructions, or confirmation of verbal instructions by the Contractor. The Project
Manager must ensure that instructions are given in the correct form.
The ECC places a great deal of authority in the hands of the Project Manager and assumes
that it has the full authority to carry out its actions on the Client’s behalf. If the Client has set
limits upon the Project Manager’s level of authority, for instance agreeing the value of
compensation events, the Client must ensure that there is an efficient and speedy
authorisation procedure to allow the Project Manager to respond to the Contractor within the
time scales set by the contract.
The Project Manager is not independent but has to administer the contract in accordance with
its provisions. The Project Manager has to give reasons for any decision the contract requires
it to make. This acts as a constraint, because if the reasons are not listed in the contract then
the Contractor is compensated for the additional time and costs the Contractor incurs in
complying with that decision.
The Supervisor is also appointed by the Client. The Supervisor can be either from the Client’s
own staff, or from an outside body. Essentially, the Supervisor’s role is to check that the works
are carried out in accordance with the contract. This role is similar to that of a Clerk of Works
or Resident Engineer in other contracts but the Supervisor holds its own authorities which are
not delegated to it by others e.g. the right to instruct a search for a Defect, and the
responsibility to issue the Defects Certificate.
It is important that whoever carries out the role of Project Manager and Supervisor is close to
the works. The contract imposes time limits on them for their actions and failure to meet those
time limits can have serious consequences. Under clause 14.2, the Project Manager and the
Supervisor may delegate any of their actions, but must inform the Contractor (in a form which
can be read, copied and recorded) before doing so. This delegation will be essential on larger
projects.
Under clause 15.1 "the Contractor and Project Manager each give an early warning by
notifying the other as soon as either becomes aware of any matter which could
increase the total of the Prices,
delay Completion,
delay meeting a Key Date or
impair the performance of the works in use.
Note a further reason may arise from Option X10, clause X10.3
adversely affect the creation or use of the Information Model.
In addition, the Project Manager or the Contractor may, if either choose, give an early warning
for any other matter that could increase the Contractor’s total cost for carrying out the works.
There are considerable financial consequences if the Contractor does not give an early
warning when it should have. For example
Any resulting compensation event may be assessed as if the Contractor had given
early warning (clause 61.5 and 63.7).
For Options C to F any cost that was incurred solely as a result of the failure may be
treated a Disallowed Cost and deducted from the amount due to the Contractor.
Clause 15.2 gives the Project Manager or the Contractor the right to instruct the other to attend
an early warning meeting. Others may attend if their presence is likely to assist, in particular
Subcontractors.
The early warning procedure forces people into being proactive, rather than reactive,
encourages the early identification of problems by both parties and puts emphasis on joint
solution finding. It is the starting point for the development of mutual trust and co-operation.
Clause 16 also allows the Contractor to propose a change to the Working Areas
Under clause 17.2, the Project Manager or Contractor notifies the other as soon as either
becomes aware of an illegal or impossible requirement. The Project Manager gives an
instruction to change the Scope as appropriate.
Under clause 63.10, a compensation event which is an instruction to change the Scope in
order to resolve an ambiguity or inconsistency is assessed as if the Prices, the Completion
Date and the Key Dates were for the interpretation most favorable to the Party which did not
provide the Scope.
Clause 19 – Prevention
This deals with an event that
stops the Contractor completing the whole of the works or
stops the Contractor completing the whole of the works by the date for planned
Completion shown on the Accepted Programme,
and which
neither Party could prevent and
an experienced contractor would have judged at the Contract Date to have such a
small chance of occurring that it would have been unreasonable to have allowed for it.
It should be noted that the requirement for “stopping” is absolute. It only covers situations
where it is impossible to complete the works at all, or by the date on the Accepted Programme,
no matter what actions the Contractor takes.
Clause 60.1(19) now makes such an event a compensation event, thus making it a Client’s
risk. For this reason, clause 19 enables the Project Manager to take over the management of
the consequences of the event from the Contractor. In addition, if this event is forecast to lead
to a delay of more than 13 weeks the Client is able to terminate the contract without having to
pay the Contractor compensation for the works not yet carried out, in the form of the Fee for
those works (Reason 21 in clause 91.7).
Under clause 21.2, particulars of the design as stated in the Scope have to be submitted to the
Project Manager for acceptance, and the Contractor cannot proceed with the relevant part of
the works until the design has been accepted.
The Contractor remains responsible for the work or any design and is liable for any failure,
despite it having been accepted by either the Project Manager or Supervisor (clause 14.1).
Clause 24 – People
The Contractor is required to employ those key persons as listed in the Contract Data part two.
If the Contractor cannot do so it must provide details of alternatives to the Project Manager for
acceptance. The Project Manager must give reasons for not accepting. This will be a
compensation event unless the reason given is that the relevant qualifications and experience
of the new person are not as good as those of the person being replaced.
Clause 26 – Subcontracting
Under clause 26.2, the Contractor submits the name of each proposed Subcontractor to the
Project Manager for acceptance. In addition, the Contractor should also submit the proposed
conditions of contract for each subcontract that is intended to be used unless
the proposed subcontract is an NEC contract which has not been amended other than
in accordance with the additional conditions of contract or
the Project Manager has agreed that no submission is necessary.
As usual the Project Manager must give reasons for rejecting a subcontractor or the
subcontract conditions. One of the reasons stated in the contract is that they will not allow the
Contractor to Provide the Works (in accordance with the contract). Any constraints on how or
to whom the Contractor is to subcontract that the Client wishes to apply should be included in
the Scope, in which case if they are not met a refusal to accept will not be a compensation
event.
In any event the Contractor is responsible for Providing the Work as if the work had not been
subcontracted (clause 26.1).
Clause 27 – Assignment
This clause allows assignment of the benefits of the contract (but not novation of the benefits
and burdens). The only requirements are that
the Party transferring the benefit or any rights notifies the other Party before doing so
and
the Client does not assign the benefits or right to a new Party which does not intend to
act in accordance with the clause 10.2 obligation to act in a spirit of mutual trust and
co-operation.
Clause 29 – Disclosure
This clause is a brief confidentiality and publicity clause.
The starting date and the access dates are stated in the Contract Data. The Contractor carries
risks from the starting date and so has to provide stated insurances prior to that date. The
Contractor cannot physically start on Site before the first access date.
The Contractor's obligation is to complete the works on or before the Completion Date as
stated in the Contract Data or as may be revised in accordance with the contract. Failure to
complete on time constitutes a breach of the Contractor's obligation. If the secondary Option
X7 (Delay damages) is included, the Client is then entitled to pre-defined damages for that
delay. If it is not then unliquidated damages may apply but will need to be pursued separately
as a breach of contract.
The Project Manager is responsible for certifying Completion, as defined in clause 11.2(2),
within one week of the date of Completion. Normally, the Contractor will request the certificate
as soon as the Contractor considers it is entitled to it, but such a request is not essential.
In addition Key Dates may be used to manage the interface between different contractors on a
project where the Client has let more than one contract to different contractors. A Key Date is
a date by which work has to reach a stated condition such that another contractor, or the
Client, can start work.
Care should be taken to use Key Dates only for this reason. If the Client requires that a
geographical section of the works should be completed (as opposed to having reached state
short of Completion) and handed over early then it is better to use Option X5.
If the Project Manager decides that the works have not met the stated condition for a Key Date
by that Key Date, and as a result the Client incurs additional cost on the project, that cost is
assessed by the Project Manager and paid by the Contractor (clause 25.3).
Key Dates are managed through the contract. They may be extended if they are affected by
compensation events. In addition, the Project Manager may instruct a change to a Key Date,
in which case it is a compensation event (clause 60.1(4)).
Provision is made for a programme either to be identified in the Contract Data part two at the
Contract Date or to be submitted by the Contractor within a period stated in the Contract Data
part one. In certain types of project, Clients may wish to have programmes submitted with
tenders and to take account of them in the tender assessment. Reasons for this include the
wish of the Client to judge whether a tenderer has fully understood its obligations and whether
it is likely to be able to carry out the work within the stated times.
Any programme submitted for acceptance is required to include, amongst other things (see
clause 31.2)
dates which are stated in the Contract Data or the Scope
dates decided by the Contractor such as planned Completion
order and timing
It is therefore likely that a programme will be much more than just a simple bar chart. It will be
a collection of documents that may include method statements, histograms, and network
diagrams. If the Client requires the programme to be presented in a particular way, or to show
information that is additional to that listed in clause 31.2 then those requirements should be
included in the Scope.
Within two weeks of the Contractor submitting a programme, or a revised programme, the
Project Manager either accepts it or notifies the Contractor of the \project Manager’s reasons
for not accepting it. The reasons why the Project Manager may not accept a programme may
include subjective judgement as to what is practicable or realistic. The reasons listed in the
contract for not accepting a programme are that
the Contractor’s plans are not practicable
it does not show the information which the contract requires
it does not represent the Contractor’s plans realistically or
it does not comply with the Scope.
The Project Manager can give reasons other than these, but that will lead to a compensation
event (clause 60.1(9)).
The Project Manager should be prepared to accept a programme with earlier dates if this is
acceptable to the Client. After acceptance, any subsequent failure by the Client to meet these
earlier dates is a compensation event.
If the Project Manager neither accepts nor rejects the programme, but takes no action, the
Contractor may notify the Project Manager of this inaction. If the failure continues for a further
week after the notification, the programme is treated as having been accepted (clause 31.3).
A quotation for any compensation event that has an effect upon the programme will require
evidence of that effect. This may be a complete revision of the programme or just a part
change. The documents provided with the quotation will not be a formal submission of a new
programme unless it is stated to be one.
A failure to instruct a start or re-start of a substantial part or all or the work, or remove work
from the Scope, is a reason for termination after 13 weeks of the original instruction to stop
work (clause 91.6).
Clause 36 – Acceleration
Acceleration means bringing the Completion Date forward which differs from usage in many
contracts where “acceleration” means speeding up the work to ensure that the Completion
Date is achieved.
The Project Manager can instruct the Contractor to submit a quotation for acceleration. There
is no remedy, however, if it is not produced, or if the Contractor's quotation is unacceptable.
Acceleration can only be undertaken by agreement between the Project Manager and the
Contractor and cannot be imposed on the Contractor without the Contractor’s agreement. If
the quotation is accepted, the Project Manager changes the Prices, Completion Date and Key
Dates accordingly.
If a compensation event would normally lead to the Completion Date being extended the
Project Manager may ask the Contractor to provide an alternative quotation assuming that the
Contractor takes measures to complete within the original period. That is not “acceleration” as
defined by this clause.
It is imperative that the Scope, produced at tender stage and referred to in Contract Data part
one, defines the full extent and timing of tests required.
Up until the defects date the Supervisor (not the Project Manager) has the authority to instruct
the Contractor to search for a Defect. This action is normally defined as “uncovering” or
“opening up” in other contracts. It is normally required to investigate the cause of a defect. If
following the search no Defect is found, a compensation event arises under clause 60.1 (10),
unless the search is needed only because the Contractor gave insufficient notice of carrying
out work that obstructed a test or inspection required by the contract.
Whether or not a search is instructed, up until the defects date the Supervisor and Contractor
each have a duty to notify the other as soon as they find any Defect.
The Contractor’s obligation to deal with Defects is governed by two periods, which are
identified in the Contract Data part one. These are
The defects date. This is the date up until which the Contractor is required to correct
any Defects found and the Client is required to allow the Contractor to do so and to
provide access. This date is expressed as a period after Completion (normally 52
weeks).
The defect correction period. This is the period that the Contractor has to correct each
Defect. Different defect correction periods may be specified in the Contract Data for
different types of Defect. For Defects found or notified before Completion this period
starts at Completion. For the period between Completion and the defects date it starts
on the later of
when the Contractor either finds or is notified by the Supervisor of the Defect and
when the Client provides access to any parts of the works that is necessary to
correct the Defect.
After the Client has taken over any part of the works it is required to provide the Contractor
access to enable the Contractor to correct any Defect. As stated above the defect correction
period for that Defect does not start until the Client does so.
In any event it should be noted that Defects that prevent the Client from using the work must
be corrected before a Completion Certificate can be issued (clause 11.2(2)).
If the Contractor and Project Manager are prepared to consider this change, the Contractor
submits a quotation for reduced Prices or an earlier Completion Date, or both. If the Project
Manager accepts the quotation the Project Manager gives an instruction to change the Scope,
the Prices, the Completion Date and the Key Dates accordingly and accepts the revised
programme.
In either event the Scope is treated as having been changed to accept the Defect.
3.5 Payment
The payment mechanisms for the six main Options are distinguished mainly by the use of
three key terms
The Prices
The Price for Work Done to Date (PWDD) – this is what the Contractor is paid for each
assessment
Defined Cost
These terms, as defined in clause 11.2 of each main Option, are used to generate the payment
mechanisms, which are summarised below.
For contracts which are subject to the provisions of Housing Grants, Construction and
Regeneration Act 1996, as subsequently amended by the Local Democracy, Economic
Development and Construction Act 2009 (“the Act”), the requirements set down in Section 5
are extended by Option Y(UK)2.
The Activity Schedule is only a payment document, used to determine payments to the
Contractor for what it designs and builds. However it is important that it should relate directly
to the programme and be compatible with it.
The Price for Work Done to Date is calculated using the Bill of Quantities’ rates and lump sums
and the total quantity of the work completed.
Defined Cost is
the cost of components in the Schedule of Cost Components for all work (including the
sums paid to Subcontractors for work which is subcontracted) less
Disallowed Cost.
The total of the Prices from the Activity Schedule or Bill of Quantities (adjusted for
compensation events) is the “target” and is compared with the PWDD to determine the
Contractor's share in accordance with the share percentages set down in the Contract Data.
A preliminary assessment of the share is made and paid following Completion, using forecasts
of the final PWDD and “target”. A final assessment is made and paid as soon as the final
assessment of the PWDD and “target” has been made.
The Contractor is required to keep the following accounts and records (clause 52.2) to
calculate Defined Cost
accounts of payments of Defined Cost
records which show that the payments have been made
communications about and assessments of compensation events for Subcontractors
and
other records as stated in the Scope.
In assessing the amount due the Contractor is paid Defined Cost in the same currency as the
Contractor made payments. The Fee and the Contractor's share are paid in the currency of
the contract based on the exchange rate identified in the Contract Data part one.
The requirements to keep records and the payment mechanism for payments made in different
currencies are the same as Options C to E.
The contract requires the Contractor to submit an application for payment before each
assessment date, in a form set out in the Scope. The Project Manager is required to take this
application into consideration when making the assessment. If the application is submitted in
advance of the assessment date, the amount due to the Contractor is
the Price for Work Done to Date (PWDD),
plus other amounts to be paid to the Contractor,
less amounts to be paid by or retained from the Contractor.
If the Contractor does not submit an application, the amount due is the lesser of
The payment certificate can therefore be “negative”, a payment from the Contractor to the
Client, or zero.
Such is the importance of the programme in the administration of the contract, that failure by
the Contractor to submit a first programme in accordance with the contract requires the Project
Manager to withhold from the Contractor one quarter of the Price for Work Done to Date
(clause 50.5) until the Contractor has submitted a programme showing the information which
the contract requires.
Clause 51 – Payment
The Project Manager certifies payment within one week of each assessment date (see also
Option Y(UK)2). Each certified payment is made within three weeks of each assessment date
or, if a different period is stated in the Contract Data, within the period stated.
The definition of Defined Cost varies according to each main option. The definitions for
Options C to E are set out in the previous explanations of those Options.
For Options A and B – clause 11.2(23) Defined Cost is the cost of the components in the Short
Schedule of Cost Components, including work which is subcontracted. It can include the cost
of preparing quotations for compensation events.
Therefore the ECC contract defines what and how the Contractor is to be paid by way of
Defined Cost. With the exception of Option F it does this by using the Schedule of Cost
Components (SCC) or Short Schedule of Cost Components (SSCC).
Note that the contract does not specify what is not included in Defined Cost. Any other costs
the Contractor incurs or any profits or overheads the Contractor wishes to recover is deemed
to be included in the Fee that the Contractor quotes in its tender. In addition, costs are only
allowed to the extent that they are at open market or competitively tendered prices. They are
also paid net of all deductions, discounts, rebates and taxes that the Contractor can recover.
The Short Schedule of Cost Components (SSCC) is used in Options A and B only, to value
compensation events. Neither the SCC nor the SSCC is used in Option F.
Working Areas
People and Equipment are only included in the SCC and SSCC if they are working or used
within the Working Areas. The only exceptions to this is for people employed elsewhere on
Section 1 – People
This relates to components of cost of people who are directly employed by the Contractor and
includes, in addition to wages and salaries, all costs related to their employment that are listed.
It specifically excludes Contractor’s staff who are working outside the Working Areas. It
includes labour only subcontractors, who are excluded from the definition of Subcontractors.
Section 4 – Subcontractors
This includes the payments to Subcontractors for work which is subcontracted without taking
into account any amounts paid to or retained from the Subcontractor by the Contractor, which
would result in the Client paying or retaining the amount twice.
Section 5 – Charges
This covers miscellaneous costs incurred by the Contractor as direct cost.
Section 7 – Design
This deals with the cost of design outside the Working Areas in the same way as Section 6. It
includes the cost of employees working outside the Working Areas on design, at rates quoted
by the Contractor in the Contract Data part two as part of its tender, and the cost of travel to
and from the Working Areas.
Section 8 – Insurance
Insurer's payment of claims is deducted from cost.
The Short Schedule of Cost Components is used for the assessment of compensation events
under Options A and B. It is laid out similarly to the SCC but with People Rates quoted
additionally in Contract Data part two for Section 1 – People.
The assessment of a Compensation Event therefore deals with both time and money. It may
lead to the total of the Prices being increased as well as the Contractor being given additional
time to carry out the works. In some cases, specified in the contract, it may result in the total of
the Prices being reduced.
What effect the value of compensation events has upon payments made to the Contractor
depends upon the main Option chosen
In Options A and B the value of the compensation event is added to the PWDD, i.e. the
amount the Contractor is paid.
In Options C and D the value of the compensation event is added to the “target” for the
works and therefore only affects the Contractor’s share payment.
In Options E and F it has no effect on what the Contractor is paid.
The effect of the second bullet of this clause is to give precedence to the Scope provided by
the Client in part one of the Contract Data over the Scope for the Contractor’s design provided
by the Contractor in part two of the Contract Data.
Only the difference between the physical conditions encountered and those for which it would
have been reasonable to have allowed is taken into account in assessing a compensation
event.
The criteria for judging the physical conditions are given in clause 60.2. The Contractor is
considered to have taken into account
the Site Information
publicly available information referred to in the Site Information.
information obtainable from a visual inspection of the Site.
other information which an experienced contractor could reasonably be expected to
have or to obtain.
Clause 60.3 states the rule regarding inconsistencies in the Site Information, for which the
Client is responsible whereby the Contractor is assumed to have taken into account the
physical conditions more favourable to carrying out the work.
Only the difference between the weather measurement and the weather which the weather
data show to occur less frequently than once in ten years is taken into account in assessing a
compensation event.
Part one of the Contract Data includes the place (which may be outside the Working Areas) at
which weather measurements are recorded. It also lists four measurements (as a minimum)
for which 10 year 'return period statistics' for each calendar month may be required. These four
measurements are
the cumulative rainfall (mm) (this includes the equivalent rainfall corresponding to falls
of snow),
Space is left in the Contract Data for adding other measurements pertinent to the Site in
question or the operations to be carried out.
and which
neither Party could prevent,
an experienced contractor would have judged the Contract Date to have had such a
small chance of occurring that it would have been unreasonable for the Contractor to
have allowed for it and
is not one of the other compensation events.
It should be noted that the requirement for “stopping” is absolute. It only covers situations
where it is impossible to complete the works at all, or by the date on the Accepted Programme,
no matter what actions the Contractor takes.
This is now at the Client’s risk. For this reason, the Project Manager is able to take over the
management of the consequences of the event from the Contractor by the use of clause 19. In
addition, if this event is forecast to lead to a delay of more than 13 weeks the Client is able to
terminate the contract without having to pay the Contractor compensation for the works not yet
carried out, in the form of the Fee for those works (Reason 21 in clause 91.7).
1. Under clause 60.4 a difference between the final total quantity of work done and the
quantity for an item on the Bill of Quantities is a compensation event if it satisfies the
three tests stated in the clause.
2. Under clause 60.5, a difference between the final total quantity of work done and the
quantity for an item on the Bill of Quantities that delays Completion or the meeting of a
Condition stated for a Key Date by that Key Date.
3. Under clause 60.6, correction of mistakes in the Bill of Quantities which are due to
departures from the rules for item descriptions and for division of the work into items in
the method of measurement or are due to ambiguities or inconsistencies.
There is a compensation event for changes in the law (Option X2) and others within the
multiparty collaboration Option (X12). Advance payment Option X14 and the Contractor’s
design Option X15 have further compensation events, and finally, under Option Y(UK)2, clause
Y2.5, if the Contractor exercises its right under the Act to suspend performance it is a
compensation event.
Therefore when, for example, the Project Manager issues a new drawing showing a change to
the Scope, the Project Manager should also notify the Contractor of the compensation event.
It is the Contractor’s responsibility to notify all other compensation events. The Contractor has
to notify a compensation event within 8 weeks of becoming aware of the event otherwise it is
not entitled to a change in the Prices, the Completion Date or a Key Date.
In addition, the Contractor may notify any event that the Project Manager should have notified
but failed to do so. In this case the 8 week period time bar does not apply. It is not applied to
compensation events that the Project Manager should have notified, in which case the
Contractor has as long as it wishes to notify, up to the defects date. For that reason it is in the
Client’s best interests for the Project Manager to notify compensation events in order to start
the procedural clock ticking.
In addition the Project Manager may, under clause 65, instruct the Contractor to provide a
quotation for a proposed instruction (see below).
The Project Manager has one week to reply to the Contractor’s notification of a compensation
event. The Project Manager can reject it under the contract only for one of the following
reasons
it arises from a fault of the Contractor,
the event has not happened and is not expected to happen,
has not been notified within the timescales set out in the conditions of contract,
If the Project Manager believes that none of these apply, the Project Manager notifies the
Contractor that the event is a compensation event and includes in the notification an instruction
for the Contractor to provide a quotation.
If the Project Manager fails to reply within one week to the Contractor’s notification the
Contractor may, if and when it wishes, notify the Project Manager to that affect. If the failure
continues for a further two weeks after this notice then that is treated as the Project Manager
having accepted the event as a compensation event and instructed a quotation. The only way
that can be changed is if the Client takes the matter to adjudication.
If the Project Manager decides that the effects of a compensation event are too uncertain to be
reasonably forecast, the Project Manager states in the instruction assumptions about the event
which the Contractor should make in its quotation. If any of these later prove to be wrong, the
Project Manager notifies a correction and that correction becomes another compensation
event (clause 60.1(17)). So, for example, if information or access to be provided by the Client
is late and the Project Manager does not know when it will be available, the instruction should
include detail on how long the Contractor should assume the delay will be when producing the
quotation.
If the Project Manager decides that the Contractor did not give an early warning of the event
that an experienced contractor should have, then the Project Manager notifies the Contractor
of that when it instructs the Contractor to provide a quotation.
If a compensation event occurs the Project Manager may, after consulting the Contractor,
instruct alternative quotations based upon different ways of dealing with the event.
The Contractor has three weeks to submit a quotation from being instructed to do so. The
Project Manager then has two weeks after submission to reply. Either or both of these periods
may be extended with the agreement of both the Project Manager and Contractor.
If the Contractor does not provide a quotation within the time set out in the contract, or agreed
between the parties, the Project Manager may make the assessment.
If the Project Manager fails to reply to a quotation within the time allowed the Contractor may, if
and when it wishes, notify the Project Manager to that effect. If the failure continues for a
further two weeks after notification it is treated as acceptance of the quotation by the Project
Manager. The only way that the Client can change that is by taking the matter to the
Adjudicator.
The date when the switch is made between actual and forecast Defined Cost is called the
dividing date. For a compensation event that arises from the Project Manager or the
Supervisor giving an instruction or notification, issuing a certificate or changing an earlier
decision, the dividing date is the date of that communication. For other compensation events,
the dividing date is the date of the notification of the compensation event (clause 63.1).
It should be noted that this quotation should include all of the costs associated with a
compensation event, including any costs for prolongation of the time on Site. There is no such
thing in the ECC as the separate entitlement to a “loss and expense” claim found in other,
more traditional contracts.
Assessment of compensation events is therefore based on their effect on Defined Cost. This
is different from most standard forms where variations are valued using the rates and prices in
the contract as a basis. The reason for this policy is that no compensation event which is the
subject of a quotation is due to the fault of the Contractor or relates to a matter which is at the
Contractor’s risk under the contract. It is, therefore, appropriate to reimburse the Contractor
the forecast additional costs arising from the compensation event.
However, in all Options, rates and lump sums may be used to assess a compensation event,
but only if both the Project Manager and Contractor agree to do so (clause 63.2).
If the compensation event changes the timing or sequence of subsequent work from that
shown in the Accepted Programme, the Contractor must submit a revised programme or
alterations to the programme. Any delay to the Completion Date is assessed as the length of
time that, due to the compensation event, planned Completion is later than planned
Completion as shown on the Accepted Programme current at the dividing date. A delay to a
Key Date is assessed as the length of time that, due to the compensation event, the planned
date when the Condition stated for a Key Date will be met is later than that shown on the
Accepted Programme current at the dividing date (clause 63.5).
Any time risk allowances which the Contractor has allowed are preserved by this clause, as
assessment of the compensation event is based on entitlement rather than need. Allowances
for risk must be included in forecasts of Defined Cost and Completion in the same way that the
Contractor allows for risks when pricing its tender. Unlike terminal float, free float or project
float within the Accepted Programme is available to mitigate or avoid any consequential delay
to the Completion Date.
No compensation event can result in a reduction in the time for carrying out the works, i.e. an
earlier Completion Date. Acceleration as agreed under clause 36 is the normal way to achieve
an earlier Completion Date.
The Project Manager has the same time to complete the assessment of a compensation event
as the Contractor had to complete the assessment for the same event. When the Project
Manager’s assessment is completed it is notified, together with calculations and any revised
programme, to the Contractor.
If the Project Manager fails to assess a compensation event within the time allowed the
Contractor may, if and when it wishes, notify the Project Manager to that effect. If the failure
continues for a further two weeks after notification it is treated as acceptance of the
Contractor’s original quotation by the Project Manager. The only way that the Client can
change that is by taking the matter to adjudication.
If the Project Manager fails to reply in time, the reply is taken to be a notification that the
quotation is not accepted. The Project Manager may still issue an instruction, having not
accepted the quotation, in which case it is treated as a new instruction and managed as a new
compensation event.
Compensation events are not reviewed or revised after they are implemented. Even if the
records of resources on work actually carried out show that achieved Defined Cost and timing
are different from the forecasts included in the accepted quotation or in the Project Manager's
assessment, the assessment is not changed.
3.7 Title
Clauses 70, 71 and 73 detail
the Client’s title to Plant and Materials inside and outside the Working Areas,
the process for marking Equipment, Plant and Material outside the Working Areas so
that the Contractor can be paid for them,
the Contractor’s title over objects of value or historical interest (the Contractor has
none) and
the Contractor’s title over material from excavation or demolition (the Contractor has
full title unless the Scope states otherwise).
The Contractor has the rights to use any material provided by the Client only to Provide the
Works (clause 74.1).
Liabilities listed in clause 81.1 are the Contractor’s unless they are stated as being Client
liabilities
1. Claims and proceedings from Others and compensation and costs payable to Others
which arise from or in connection with the Contractor Providing the Works.
2. Loss of or damage to the works, Plant and Materials and Equipment.
3. Loss of or damage to property owned or occupied by the Client other than the works,
which arises from or in connection with the Contractor Providing the Works.
4. Death or bodily injury to the employees of the Contractor.
Whilst this section deals with liabilities as a whole it should be remembered that the time and
money risks associated with compensation events always remain with the Client. In addition,
the financial risks of events will also depend upon the main Option chosen.
With Options A and B the remaining financial risks reside with the Contractor.
With Options C and D they are shared between the Contractor and the Client using the
share mechanism, except for Disallowed Cost, which remain with the Contractor.
With Option E they remain with the Client except for Disallowed Cost, which remain
with the Contractor.
With Option F they remain with the Client except for Disallowed Cost and any (lump
sum) prices the Contractor has tendered for, which both remain with the Contractor.
The Contractor is required to take out insurances in the joint names of the Parties for events
which are at its risk under the following three headings in the Insurance Table
1. Loss of or damage to the works, Plant and Materials.
2. Loss of or damage to Equipment.
3. Loss of or damage to property (except the works, Plant and Materials and Equipment)
and liability for bodily injury to or death of a person (not an employee of the
Contractor), arising from or in connection with the Contractor Providing the Works.
4. Liability for death of or bodily injury to employees of the Contractor arising out of and in
the course of their employment in connection with the contract.
Termination
If either Party wishes to terminate the Contractor’s obligation to Provide the Works it notifies
the Project Manager and the other Party giving details of its reason for terminating. If the
reason complies with the contract then the Project Manager promptly issues a termination
certificate to both Parties (clause 90.1).
There are 22 reasons to terminate stated in clause 91. Some reasons are available just to the
Client, some just to the Contractor and the rest available to either Party. There is a further
reason in Option X11, where the Client may terminate for any reason.
There are four procedures, P1 to P4, which apply as directed in the Termination Table (clause
90.2) depending upon which Party has terminated and for what reason. There are four
calculations detailed in clause 93 that are used to determine the amount due to the Contractor
(or the Client). The amount due on termination includes an amount assessed in accordance
with A1 (clause 93.1) and one or more of A2 to A4 (clause 93.2), again depending upon which
Party has terminated and for what reason.
Dispute Resolution
The ECC has three dispute resolution procedures and the Client chooses the one which it will
use in the Contract Data part one. Options W1 and W2 have many similarities. Both require
that
the Adjudicator is employed by both Parties using the NEC Dispute Resolution Service
Contract
a dispute is first considered by the Senior Representatives stated in the Contract Data
the adjudicator’s decision is binding, in that the Parties have to put it into effect, and
either Party may subsequently refer the dispute to the tribunal, which is identified in the
Contract Data part one for a final decision, but
the Parties may not refer a dispute to the tribunal until it has been through an
adjudication and
if they do not notify their intention to do so within 4 weeks of the Adjudicator’s
decision that decision becomes final as well as binding.
Option W3 does not adopt the Senior Representatives or an Adjudicator, but refers disputes
first to a Disputes Avoidance Board, and then directly to the tribunal. The Disputes Avoidance
Board has no power to impose a solution to the dispute.
Option W1
W1 is the standard NEC form of dispute resolution. It provides for adjudication by an
Adjudicator identified in the Contract Data or, if not identified, jointly chosen or chosen by an
Adjudicator nominating body. Under this Option the time scales for starting and completing an
adjudication are limited.
Prior to the adjudication it requires that a dispute arising under or in connection with the
contract is referred to the Senior Representatives in accordance with the Dispute Reference
Table. If the dispute is not resolved by the Senior Representatives, it is referred to and
decided by the Adjudicator.
The Dispute Reference Table identifies the reasons for the dispute, the name of the referring
Party, and the time scales for the Parties to notify the dispute to each other and to refer it to the
Option W1 also allows a dispute under a subcontract which is also a dispute under the ECC to
be referred to the Adjudicator at the same time.
A dispute is not referred to the tribunal unless it has first been referred to the Adjudicator.
Option W2
This Option is only used in the UK when and if the Housing Grants, Construction and
Regeneration Act 1996, as subsequently amended by the Local Democracy, Economic
Development and Construction Act 2009 (the Construction Act), applies. It in drafted in such a
way as to comply fully with this legislation whilst still retaining as many features of W1 as
possible.
It still retains the option to refer a dispute to the Senior Representatives before the Adjudicator,
but because the Construction Act allows a Party to refer a dispute to an Adjudicator at any
time, the referral to the Senior Representatives cannot be obligatory.
Option W3
This Option replaces the Senior Representatives and Adjudicator with a Dispute Avoidance
Board. This Board is stated in the Contract Data, or chosen subsequently by the Parties or the
Dispute Avoidance Board nominating body. Its member(s) are involved throughout the
contract, making occasional site visits. Its objective is to assist the Parties in resolving
potential disputes before they become disputes.
In fact, the work is done during a spell of fine weather and the Defined Cost plus Fee based on
records is £15,000.
(b) How much would the Contractor be paid for this work if it were an Option C contract
instead?
What, if any, entitlement does he have to be paid for work carried out in that month?
by conventional methods
details to be determined
to be decided after appointment of subcontractor.
The Contractor’s work is delayed because a subcontractor it employs is unable to carry out any
other work and it takes 3 weeks to find a new subcontractor and for them to start work.
Following that delay the Contractor submits a revised programme to the Project Manager for
acceptance. This does not reflect any of the delays incurred because of this problem, and
therefore when it is issued it shows the works as being 3 weeks further ahead than they
actually are.
(c) What actions can the Project Manager take and what would be their consequences on
the assessment of future compensation events?
(b) How will the Contractor recover any cost and time effect of the delayed access?
Describe the process available to the Project Manager to put this into effect?
In an ECC Option C project, what actions are available to the Project Manager in such a
situation?
On a highway contract under the ECC using Option A the Project Manager instructs the
Contractor to construct a pipe culvert under an existing side road as additional work. To
minimise disruption to traffic, the extra work has to be done in December during the night time.
The Contractor submits a quotation for £20,000 which includes an allowance for bad weather.
The Project Manager accepts the quotation.
In fact, the work is done during a spell of fine weather and the Defined Cost plus Fee based on
records is £15,000.
This is an Option A contract and therefore the Contractor gets paid the value of the
implemented compensation event. Since the Project Manager accepted the
Contractor’s quote of £20,000 that is its value and what the Contractor gets paid.
Implemented compensation events are not reviewed later to see what that actual
Defined Cost of doing the work is.
(b) How much would the Contractor be paid for this work if it were an Option C
contract instead?
With Option C contracts compensation events are valued in exactly the same way as
Option A and again are not changed once implemented.
With Option C contracts, the values of implemented compensation events are added to
the total “target”. They have no immediate effect on what the Contractor gets paid.
With Option C the Contractor is paid its Defined Cost plus the Fee. In this case it would
be £15,000.
The Contractor will later get a share of the difference between the implemented value
of the Compensation event and the Defined Cost of doing it via the share mechanism
in the contract. That share may serve to increase the Contractor’s overall share it is
paid or decrease the overall share it is to repay, depending upon whether the total of
the Prices (target) is greater or smaller than the total of the PWDD.
What, if any, entitlement does he have to be paid for work carried out in that month?
The Project Manager has to make an assessment of the Price for Work Done to Date
(PWDD) regardless of whether or not the Contractor has submitted any application for
payment. The Contractor is obliged to submit an application for payment (clause 50.2)
and if it does, clause 50.3 applies. If it does not, clause 50.4 applies.
The amount due for an Option A contract is the total of the Prices for each completed
activity or each group of completed activities.
In this case, since the Contractor has not submitted an application, the Contractor is
not entitled to any further payment, even though the amount due as calculated above
may be greater than the amount due at the previous assessment date. So the
Contractor would not be paid that assessment for work carried out in the month, but it
would be carried forward to the next assessment.
The Project Manager must certify a payment within one week of each assessment
date (clause 51.1). In this case the certificate would be for £0 or a repayment by the
Contractor. The Project Manager should still certify a zero payment.
by conventional methods
details to be determined
to be decided after appointment of subcontractor.
The Contractor is not required to provide detailed method statements that it has not yet
produced for later works. However, it is required to provide for each operation a
statement of how it plans to do the work identifying the principal Equipment and
resources. That statement may be vague at the beginning of the work, but should be
firmed up as time goes by.
At tender stage, the Contractor should have produced some form of plan as to how it
was to do the works in order to have priced them. At that stage it may be no more
than identifying a subcontractor whose price it has used. If that is the case the
Contractor should have obtained some basic information from that subcontractor about
how it intends to carry out the works. That tender information may be all that is
available and if so that is what should be included.
As written some of the information is too vague, although at this stage it may be no
more than “we intend to use xxx as a subcontractor, further information will be
available as soon as a subcontract order is placed”.
The Project Manager could reject the plan because it does not show the information
which the contract requires. Since that is a reason in the contract, that rejection would
not be a compensation event.
Alternatively, the Project Manager could give the Contractor the opportunity to provide
further information before not accepting the programme.
The Contractor is required to revise the programme regularly. The Contractor must do
so
within the period for reply after being instructed to by the PM,
when it chooses, and in any case
at no longer an interval than that stated in the Contract Data.
It is essential that the Client states a suitable period in the Contract Data in order to
ensure that the programme is regularly updated and submitted for acceptance. Most
Clients consider that a period of 4 to 6 weeks is the maximum and in some time and
resource intensive projects these periods are made even smaller.
The Contractor’s work is delayed because a subcontractor it employs is unable to carry out any
other work and it takes 3 weeks to find a new subcontractor and for them to start work.
Following that delay the Contractor submits a revised programme to the Project Manager for
acceptance. This does not reflect any of the delays incurred because of this problem, and
therefore when it is issued it shows the works as being 3 weeks further ahead than they
actually are.
(c) What actions can the Project Manager take and what would be their
consequences on the assessment of future compensation events?
A revised programme must show the actual progress achieved on each operation and
its effect upon the timing of the remaining work. It must also show how the Contractor
intends to deal with any delays. This programme appears to fail both of these tests.
The Project Manager can therefore not accept this programme because it does not
show the information required by the contract. The Project Manager could also not
accept it because it does not represent the Contractor’s plans realistically. Since both
of these are reasons given in the contract for not accepting, that rejection would not be
a compensation event.
If, when the Contractor submits a quotation for a compensation event, the Project
Manager has not accepted the latest programme submitted, then the Project Manager
cannot accept the quotation and makes its own assessment using its assessment of
what the programme should be.
This will depend upon the date shown on the Accepted Programme for access to the
area. If the date shown is the same as that in the Contract Data then this will be a
compensation event.
If the date is still in the future then the Project Manager should have notified an early
warning notice for this event. If the Project Manager did not do so then the Contractor
should do so. The Contractor should then ask for an early warning meeting to discuss
this problem.
If the date has passed the Contractor should notify the Project Manager of a
compensation event.
(b) How will the Contractor recover any cost and time effect of the delayed access?
This will depend upon the date shown on the Accepted Programme for access to the
area. If the date shown is the same as that in the Contract Data then this will be a
compensation event for which the Contractor will be compensated.
With an Option B contract, the Contractor will be paid for the effect of the
compensation event upon
In addition, the Completion Date will be extended by the length of time that, due to the
compensation event, planned Completion is later than planned Completion as shown on the
Accepted Programme current at the dividing date.
Describe the process available to the Project Manager to put this into effect?
If the Project Manager and Contractor are prepared to consider the proposed change,
the Project Manager instructs the Contractor to provide a quotation for acceleration
(clause 36).
If the Project Manager accepts the quotation, the Project Manager changes the Prices,
the Completion Date and the Key Dates accordingly and accepts the revised
programme.
The Project Manager cannot impose a quotation for acceleration upon the Contractor.
The Project Manager cannot instruct the Contractor to accelerate without first agreeing
a quotation.
In an ECC Option C project, what actions are available to the Project Manager in such a
situation?
The Supervisor rather than the Project Manager is responsible for ensuring that the
works comply with the Scope.
If the Supervisor believes that the problem drain pipes may be the fault of the Client’s
design the Supervisor may instruct the Contractor to carry out further tests. Such an
instruction will normally be a compensation event unless these tests show that the
problem is the fault of the Contractor.
If the Supervisor believes that the problem is due to the Contractor not complying with
the Scope, the Supervisor notifies the Contractor. The Supervisor has no need to
instruct the Contractor to correct the Defect since the contract already requires that.
The Contractor has to correct the Defect within the defect correction period.
It is important to realise that Subcontractor is a defined term under this contract – see
the definition in 11.2(19). The provisions of clause 26 on subcontracting only apply to
Subcontractors as defined by the contract.
Items (c) and (e) are not Subcontractors as defined by the contract, they are suppliers.
As such the Project Manager’s powers of veto are very limited.
The Contractor submits the proposed subcontract documents for acceptance unless
no submission is required or the proposed subcontract is an NEC contract which has
not been amended other than in accordance with the additional conditions of contract.
Once the Project Manager is satisfied that clause 26 has been complied with, the
Project Manager should reply either accepting or not accepting each of the
Subcontractors within the period for reply in the Contract Data.
If the Project Manager does not accept any Subcontractor it must give reasons.
The following pages show the Contract Data forms and examples of communication
forms from an Engineering and Construction Contract.
Terms in this deed have the meanings given to them in the contract between . . . . . . . . . . . . and . . . . . . .
. . . . for . . . . . . . . . . . . . (the works).
Background
The Client and the Contractor have entered into a contract for the works.
The Named Suppliers have entered into contracts with the Contractor or a Subcontractor in connection
with the works.
The Contractor has established a Project Bank Account to make provision for payment to the
Contractor and the Named Suppliers.
Agreement
• sums due to the Contractor and Named Suppliers and set out in the Authorisation are held in
trust in the Project Bank Account by the Contractor for distribution to the Contractor and Named
Suppliers in accordance with the banking arrangements applicable to the Project Bank Account,
• further Named Suppliers may be added as parties to this deed with the agreement of the Client and
Contractor. The agreement of the Client and Contractor is treated as agreement by the Named
Suppliers who are parties to this deed,
• this deed is subject to the law of the contract for the works,
Executed as a deed on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Client)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Contractor)
.......................
.......................
.......................
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Named
Suppliers)
JOINING DEED
This agreement is made between the Client, the Contractor and . . . . . . . . . (the Additional
Supplier).
Terms in this deed have the meanings given to them in the contract between . . . . . . . . . . . . and . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (the works).
Background
The Client and the Contractor have entered into a contract for the works.
The Named Suppliers have entered into contracts with the Contractor or a Subcontractor in
connection with the works.
The Contractor has established a Project Bank Account to make provision for payment to the
Contractor and the Named Suppliers.
The Client, the Contractor and the Named Suppliers have entered into a deed as set out in
Annex 1 (the Trust Deed), and have agreed that the Additional Supplier may join that deed.
Agreement
• the Additional Supplier becomes a party to the Trust Deed from the date set out below,
• this deed is subject to the law of the contract for the works,
Executed as a deed on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Client)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Contractor)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Additional Supplier)
Contract Data
PART ONE – DATA PROVIDED BY THE CLIENT
Completion of the data in full, according to the Options chosen, is essential to create
a complete contract.
1 General
The conditions of contract are the core clauses and the clauses for the following main
Option, the Option for resolving and avoiding disputes and secondary Options of the
NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract June 2017
Secondary Options
The Client is
Name
Name
The Supervisor
is
Name
(2)
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
If the Client has decided The completion date for the whole of the works
the completion date for
the whole of the works
Taking over the works The Client is/is not willing to take over the works before the
before the Completion Date Completion Date (Delete as applicable)
If no programme is The period after the Contract Date within which the Contractor
identified in part two of is to submit a first programme for acceptance is
the Contract Data
4 Quality management
The period after the Contract Date within which the Contractor
is to submit a quality policy statement and quality plan is
5 Payment
The interest rate is % per annum (not less than 2) above the
If Option C or D is used The Contractor’s share percentages and the share ranges are
less than % %
from % to % %
from % to % %
greater than % %
on (date)
6 Compensation events
• the number of days with minimum air temperature less than 0 degrees Celsius
The weather data are the records of past weather measurements for each calendar month
which were recorded at
(1)
(2)
(3)
The minimum amount of cover for insurance against loss of or damage to property (except
the works, Plant and Materials and Equipment) and liability for bodily injury to or death of a
person (not an employee of the Contractor) arising from or in connection with the Contractor
Providing the Works for any one event is
The minimum amount of cover for insurance against death of or bodily injury to employees
of the Contractor arising out of and in the course of their employment in connection with the
contract for any one event is
If the Client is to provide The insurance against loss of or damage to the works, Plant and Materials is to include
Plant and Materials cover for Plant and Materials provided by the Client for an amount of
If the Client is to provide The Client provides these insurances from the Insurance Table
any of the insurances stated
in the Insurance Table
(1) Insurance against
The tribunal is
Name (1)
Name (2)
Name
If Option W3 is used The number of members of the Dispute Avoidance Board is one/three (delete as
applicable)
If Option W3 is used The Client’s nomination for the Dispute Avoidance Board is
and the number of
members of the Dispute Name
Avoidance Board is
three Address for electronic communications
The Dispute Avoidance Board visit the Site at intervals no longer months
than
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0. non-adjustable
1.00
on (date)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
If Option X6 is used The bonus for the whole of the works is per day
without Option X5
If Option X6 is used with The bonus for each section of the works is
Option X5
section description amount per day
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
If Option X7 is used without Delay damages for Completion of the whole of the works per day
Option X5 are
If Option X7 is used with Delay damages for each section of the works are
Option X5
section description amount per day
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
provided to
works provided to
works
X10: Information modelling
If Option X10 is used
If no information The period after the Contract Date within which the Contractor is to submit a first
execution plan is
identified in part two Information Execution Plan for acceptance is
of the Contract Data
The minimum amount of insurance cover for claims made against the Contractor arising
out of its failure to use the skill and care normally used by professionals providing
information similar to the Project Information is, in
respect of each claim
The period following Completion of the whole of the works or earlier termination for which
the Contractor maintains insurance for claims made against it arising out of its failure to
use the skill and care is
The period after the Contract Date from which the Contractor
repays the instalments in assessments is
The instalments are (either an amount or a percentage of the
payment otherwise due)
Advanced payment bond An advanced payment bond is/is not required. (Delete as applicable)
If Option X15 is used The period for retention following Completion of the whole of the works or earlier
termination is
The minimum amount of insurance cover for claims made against the Contractor arising
out of its failure to use the skill and care normally used by professionals designing works
similar to the works is, in respect of each claim
The period following Completion of the whole of the works or earlier termination for which
the Contractor maintains insurance for claims made against it arising out of its failure to
use the skill and care is
Retention bond The Contractor may/may not give the Client a retention bond. (Delete as applicable)
for
for
for
for
X18: Limitation of liability
If Option X18 is used The Contractor’s liability to the Client for indirect or
consequential loss is limited to
For any one event, the Contractor’s liability to the Client for
loss of or damage to the Client’s property is limited to
The end of liability date is years after the Completion of the whole of the works
If Option X20 is used The incentive schedule for Key Performance Indicators is in
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Total
If there are additional These are additional events which could change the Budget
events which could
change the Budget
(1)
(2)
(3)
Charges made and The Contractor is/is not to pay any charges made and to be paid any interest paid by the
interest paid by the project bank (Delete as applicable)
project bank
If Option Y(UK)2 is used and The period for payment is days after the date on which payment becomes
the final date for payment is due
not fourteen days after the
date on which payment
becomes due
1 General
The Contractor is
Name
Job
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Experience
Name (2)
Job
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Experience
If the Contractor is to provide The Scope provided by the Contractor for its design is in
Scope for its design
3 Time
If the Contractor is to decide The completion date for the whole of the works is
the completion date for the
whole of the works
5 Payment
activity price
Name (1)
If Option W3 is used The Contractor’s nomination for the Dispute Avoidance Board is
Name
Name (1)
Job
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Experience
Name (2)
Job
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Experience
Equipment rate
The rates for Defined Cost of manufacture and fabrication outside the Workings Areas by
the Contractor are
The rates for Defined Cost of design outside the Workings Areas are
The categories of design people whose travelling expenses to and from the Working
Areas are included as a cost of design of the works and Equipment done outside the
Working Areas are
Data for the Short Schedule of Cost Components (only used with Options A or B)
The people rates are
category of person unit rate
The published list of Equipment is the edition current at the Contact Date of the list
published by
Equipment rate
The rates for Defined Cost of design outside the Workings Areas are
category of person rate
To: Address:
From: Address:
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
Payment Certificate
No: Date:
Sub-total £
Amount due £
Sub-total £
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
the date of Completion of [insert either any section of the works or the whole
of the works] is [insert date]
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
the Client took over [state which part of the works] on [insert date]
Copy to:
Signed:
To: Address:
From: Address:
[or] the following is a list of Defects notified before the defects date which the Contractor
has not corrected.
Copy to:
Signed: