Construction matters

Commercial contracts will often contain provisions relating to variations and amendments.  Typically such provisions require all variations to be in writing and signed by both...

Further to our previous blog published on 5 September, please note that the government has, over the weekend, pushed back its decision to bring its new VAT reverse charge...

The UK government loses around £100m a year from construction companies failing to account to HMRC with accurate VAT revenues.  As a result, it has decided to combat this type of...

It is undeniable that society is undergoing a digital transformation in a bid to be more innovative, sustainable and cost efficient, and the construction industry is no...

In most standard form building contracts, "practical completion" is not defined or not defined precisely.  It is left to the contract administrator to certify it, using their...

The way of doing things has been transformed by the digital economy.  So much is now done online, from ordering food, buying goods, submitting tax returns, reading the news - the...

Most construction contracts contain liquidated damages clauses that provide the employer with a defined rate of compensation if a project is delivered late.  But what happens if...

Let us imagine a pretty typical development project.  The scheme is a retail unit.  The developer engages a main contractor.  The unit is pre-let to a tenant on full repairing...

Cripps Pemberton Greenish is delighted to be hosting the first of the SCL Kent Region’s 2019 seminars on 5 February. The speaker will be Ebony Alleyne, construction specialist at...

The recent case of GPP Big Field LLP v Solar EPC Solutions SL (formerly Prosolia Siglio XXI) [2018] EWHC 2866 (Comm) discusses some interesting issues affecting the application of...

he public procurement rules are complex.  A Local Authority in particular has to find its way through a myriad of regulations to ensure that what it is doing is lawful.  First of...

Unfortunately, the threat of insolvency has once again raised its head in the construction industry. The industry saw 2,633 company insolvencies in 2017. The number of construction...

James Lee and I made our annual trip to the Kent Construction Expo last week and enjoyed it as much as ever.  It was good to see the Event Centre busy and lively, with delegates...

The topic of delay and disruption has often featured in this blog.  Problem areas include both neutral events, eg bad weather, and interaction between the parties such as where...

Apologies if you are tired of the Brexit debate.  But, leaver or remainer, dealer or no dealer, you cannot ignore it if you are involved in the construction industry. Whatever the...

What are they and why are they necessary? Whilst a 'letter of intent' can have an ambiguous and varied meaning across other legal practice areas, typically in construction, it is a...

The pre-action rules governing professional negligence disputes have changed On 1 May 2018, the law relating to negligence claims against non-medical and non-construction...

In my last blog, I began a ‘compare and contrast’ of the NHBC (and other insurance backed structural warranties) and collateral warranties/third party rights. We previously...

To the uninitiated, there seems to be a lot of confusion in the marketplace as to whether or not an employer should be procuring NHBC cover or collateral warranties on a...

As many readers will be aware the parties to a construction contract  have a statutory right to refer a dispute to adjudication. By its nature adjudication is a swift process...