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.
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Liquidated 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 PricingDayworks: when they apply and what the sheet must show
The valuation method of last resort, and the one most often used first. An unsigned sheet is an invoice nobody agreed to.
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 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’s 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 doesn’t.
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. It’s the single most expensive date in a UK construction contract.
12 May 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.