Will We Ever Collaborate?

/ Chairman's Blog

Blog author: Richard Saxon CBE, JCT Chairman 2016 was another year in which insightful reports were published castigating the UK construction industry for its dysfunction and making recommendations that may or may not ever be acted upon. The recent much publicised Farmer Review: ‘Modernise or Die’, was preceded by ‘Collaborative Construction: More myth than reality?’, produced by Pinsent Masons. Mark Farmer joined the December meeting of JCT Council to discuss his report’s implications for contracts. The Collaborative Construction report is the result of a wide…

Obtaining Planning Consent – What is Your Responsibility?

/ Contractual Issues

Blog authors: Emily Dickson and Emily Pittaway – BLP Law Securing planning consent is a fundamental first step for any development project. Where a building contract does not expressly oblige either party to apply for or obtain planning consent, or other project specific approvals such as conservation area or listed building consent, who bears this responsibility? This is an important issue, particularly in circumstances where such consents are not obtained in time for the works to start. If responsibility falls on the employer, then the contractor…

JCT Design and Build and JCT Standard Building Contracts 2016 – Part I

/ Contractual Issues, JCT 2016 Edition

Blog Author: Suzanne Reeves – Partner, Wedlake Bell JCT Design and Build 2016 Contract JCT has published the new edition of 2016 Design and Build Contract in conjunction with the Design and Build Sub-Contract for use with it. The purpose of this note is to outline the principal changes from the previous 2011 edition and answer some frequently asked questions. In summary, these are: Introduction of common “Interim Valuation Dates” which will apply throughout the contract chain including at sub-contract and sub-sub-contract tiers. Introduction of…

JCT Interviews…Christopher J Probyn Miers

/ Interviews

In this series we shed some light on some of the key people who are involved with or give their time to support JCT, to ensure that all areas of the construction industry are represented and can contribute to the development of our contracts. We will look at how our interviewees contribute to JCT specifically, and gain their views on JCT’s wider role within the industry. CHRISTOPHER J PROBYN MIERS JCT Council Member Member of the JCT Drafting Sub-Committee Christopher Miers is an architect expert…

Trust, Relationships, and Clear Objectives

/ JCT Povey Lecture

TONY GIDDINGS TALKS COLLABORATION AT JCT POVEY LECTURE 2016 “Collaboration: how Argent developed its successful way of working” was the title of the JCT Povey Lecture 2016, given by Tony Giddings at The Building Centre, London on Thursday 10 November. Tony Giddings described how Argent’s collaborative approach has led to the successful delivery of over £1.2bn worth of construction projects, including Brindleyplace in Birmingham, Thames Valley Park in Reading, Piccadilly Place in Manchester and recently, the redevelopment of the 69-acre site at King’s Cross in…

JCT 2016 Edition of Contracts – Launch Webinar

/ JCT 2016 Edition

The JCT webinar, “JCT 2016 Edition of Contracts”, hosted by Building, was broadcast live on 23 November 2016. The webinar was set up to provide more information to JCT users about the 2016 Edition, specifically covering the main areas of change. This session included information on: Introduction to the 2016 Edition Building Information Modelling (BIM) The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 Payment Insurance Performance Bonds and Guarantees, Third Party Rights and Collateral Warranties The Webinar included the following expert speakers: Victoria Peckett – partner, head of…

Not So Standard Contracts

/ Contractual Issues

Blog author: Peter Hibberd After Brexit, the UK is to go its own way regarding procurement and contracts but it will still have to work within parameters set by others if it is to trade internationally – something which JCT will continue to pursue regardless of the UK’s membership of the EU. During the past year, few subjects have created as much angst and foreboding as Brexit even though its definition is unclear– perhaps that is the problem. This article does not repeat the well-trodden arguments…

Wilton’s Music Hall

/ Case Studies

A JCT Standard Building Contract was behind the curtain at Wilton’s Music Hall – a conservation project of such sensitivity that the works behind the scenes were vital to keeping this piece of East End history as authentic as possible… For local Stepney residents, and the wider theatre-going community, Wilton’s Music Hall is a treasure – one of only very few purpose-built music halls, built in London from the 1830s, to have survived in anything like its original form. Since its reopening as a concert…

JCT Interviews…Justin Perry

/ Interviews

In this series we shed some light on some of the key people who are involved with or give their time to support JCT, to ensure that all areas of the construction industry are represented and can contribute to the development of our contracts. We will look at how our interviewees contribute to JCT specifically, and gain their views on JCT’s wider role within the industry. Justin Perry JCT Director, NSCC JCT Council Member Member of the JCT Payment Review Working Group Justin Perry is an independent construction consultant specialising in providing contractual and…

Does a failure to sign mean you’re off the hook?

/ Contractual Issues

Blog authors: Marc Hanson and Helena Savva – BLP Law JCT forms include comprehensive guidance on execution, in addition to standard provisions allowing the parties to execute the contract under hand or as a deed. However, what they do not include are terms providing that the contract will not be binding unless both parties execute it. So, what if the parties amend their JCT form to include such a term and then one party doesn’t sign? Surely, the answer must be that the contract won’t…