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.
38 articles
Filter and search
Showing 8 of 38 · Contracts
What is practical completion, and who decides it?
It has no definition in any statute, and six things change the moment it is certified, retention, damages, insurance and the defects clock among them.
7 September 20265 min ContractsVariations in construction: how to record and price them
The commonest reason a job finishes on a loss is not bad pricing. It is work done on a verbal instruction that nobody wrote down.
7 September 20265 min ContractsLiquidated damages: when can they be deducted?
A pre-agreed daily rate for lateness. Three conditions have to be satisfied first, and employers regularly deduct without meeting them.
7 September 20264 min HandoverDefects liability period: what it covers and what it does not
It gives the contractor a right to come back and fix things, which is cheaper for everybody. It does not end liability when it closes.
7 September 20264 min ContractsExtension of time: what you must prove and by when
It moves the completion date and stops damages running. It does not by itself pay for anything, and the notice deadlines are where most claims are lost.
7 September 20264 min EstimatingProvisional sums and PC sums: what each one commits you to
A defined provisional sum is in your programme. An undefined one is not, and that distinction decides who owns the delay.
7 September 20264 min ContractsSubcontractor agreements: what must be in writing
The Construction Act applies whether you signed anything or not. What it implies, what you should still write down, and the two clauses that no longer work.
7 September 20264 min PaymentFinal accounts: how to agree one without losing money
The last chance to be paid for anything. Miss the challenge period and the final certificate becomes conclusive evidence against you.
7 September 20264 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.