Field notes
The rules you have to work to
Plain explanations of the UK regulations, deadlines and pricing decisions that decide whether a construction business makes money. Written for contractors, with the statute cited, and useful whether or not you ever buy anything from us.
15 articles
How to price a job properly: labour, materials, plant and overhead
Most underpriced jobs are not underpriced on the trade rate. They are underpriced because the overhead was never in the number at all.
21 July 20268 min PricingWhat is a Schedule of Rates, and when should you price work with one?
A pre-agreed price list for units of work. It removes the argument from every small job and shifts all the risk onto how accurately you measure.
14 July 20266 min GasLandlord gas safety certificates: the CP12 rules explained
Twelve months, 28 days, two years, two months. Four numbers cover almost every landlord gas safety question.
7 July 20266 min ElectricalDo I need an EICR, and how often?
For rented homes in England it is five years and it is the law. For everything else it depends on the installation, and the interval is set by the inspector.
30 June 20266 min Health & SafetyCDM 2015: when do I need to notify HSE on an F10?
Two thresholds decide it, and one of them has an "and" in it that half the industry reads as "or". Notification is also the least important part of CDM.
23 June 20266 min Health & SafetyWhat must a RAMS actually contain?
A risk assessment says what could go wrong. A method statement says how the work will be done so it does not. Most rejected RAMS have plenty of the first and none of the second.
16 June 20267 min Social housingAwaab’s Law: what social landlords must do about damp and mould
Ten working days to investigate, three to report back, five to make safe. The deadlines are statutory, they run in working days, and they are enforceable in the county court.
9 June 20268 min Getting paidGetting paid faster: quoting, invoicing and chasing
Most late payment is caused before the invoice is sent. Fix the quote and the terms, then chase on a schedule rather than a feeling.
2 June 20268 min PaymentWhat is retention, and how do you actually get it released?
Three per cent of a year’s turnover sitting in someone else’s bank account is a real number. Here is how retention works and how to get it back.
26 May 20266 min PaymentApplications for payment vs invoices: what is the difference?
They look similar and behave completely differently. One starts a statutory notice clock in your favour; the other does not.
19 May 20266 min PaymentWhat is a pay less notice, and when must it be served?
Miss the deadline and the notified sum becomes payable in full, however wrong it is. This is the single most expensive date in a UK construction contract.
12 May 20267 min CISCIS gross payment status: how to get it, and how firms lose it
Being paid gross is worth a great deal in cash flow. Three tests get you there and one late VAT return can take it away.
6 May 20266 min CISCIS tax months explained: why the 6th to the 5th matters
A payment dated the 3rd belongs to last month’s return. Get the tax month wrong and you file two returns incorrectly instead of one.
28 April 20266 min CISHow CIS deductions are calculated, and why materials are excluded
Take 20% off the whole invoice and you have underpaid your subcontractor. The deduction runs on the labour element only — here is the arithmetic, with examples.
21 April 20266 min VATWhat is the VAT domestic reverse charge, and does it apply to my job?
Five conditions decide it, and one of them is a question only your customer can answer. Here is how to work it out before you raise the invoice, not after it bounces.
14 April 20267 minBuilt for the way UK contractors actually work
Estimating, quoting, job management, timesheets, invoicing, CIS and site safety — with an offline field mode that installs to a phone and keeps working with no signal.