Architect's Guide to NEC4

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Title
3. Copyright
4. Contents
5. About the author
6. Introduction
7. 1 Background to the NEC
   1. Procurement strategy
      1. Contract typology
      2. Contract form
      3. Project-specific strategies
   2. Genesis and philosophy of the NEC
      1. Origins
      2. Application – what is in a name?
      3. Guiding principles
   3. The NEC contract family
      1. The NEC family relationship for architects
      2. Compatibility, ‘nesting’ of contracts and uniformity
      3. NEC4 published contracts
8. 2 Structure and content of NEC4
   1. ‘Pick-and-mix’ assembly of the contract
      1. Clause hierarchy and contract layout
      2. Necessary clauses
      3. ‘Designing’ the project-specific contract
   2. Core clauses
      1. Core Clause Section 1: General
      2. Core Clause Section 2: The Contractor’s main responsibilities
      3. Core Clause Section 3: Time
      4. Core Clause Section 4: Quality management
      5. Core Clause Section 5: Payment
      6. Core Clause Section 6: Compensation events
      7. Core Clause Section 7: Title
      8. Core Clause Section 8: Liabilities and insurance
      9. Core Clause Section 9: Termination
   3. Main option clauses
      1. Main Option A: Priced contract with activity schedule
      2. Main Option B: Priced contract with bill of quantities
      3. Main Option C: Target contract with activity schedule
      4. Main Option D: Target contract with bill of quantities
      5. Main Option E: Cost reimbursable contract
      6. Main Option F: Management contract
   4. Secondary option clauses
      1. Secondary Option X1: Price adjustment for inflation
      2. Secondary Option X2: Changes in the law
      3. Secondary Option X3: Multiple currencies
      4. Secondary Option X4: Ultimate holding company guarantee
      5. Secondary Option X5: Sectional Completion
      6. Secondary Option X6: Bonus for early Completion
      7. Secondary Option X7: Delay damages
      8. Secondary Option X8: Undertakings to the Client or Others
      9. Secondary Option X9: Transfer of rights
      10. Secondary Option X10: Information modelling
      11. Secondary Option X11: Termination by the Client
      12. Secondary Option X12: Multiparty collaboration
      13. Secondary Option X13: Performance bond
      14. Secondary Option X14: Advanced payment to the Contractor
      15. Secondary Option X15: The Contractor’s design
      16. Secondary Option X16: Retention
      17. Secondary Option X17: Low performance damages
      18. Secondary Option X18: Limitation of liability
      19. Secondary Option X20: Key Performance Indicators
      20. Secondary Option X21: Whole life cost
      21. Secondary Option X22: Early Contractor involvement
      22. Secondary Option Y(UK)1: Project Bank Account
      23. Secondary Option Y(UK)2: The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
      24. Secondary Option Y(UK)3: The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
      25. Secondary Option Z: Additional conditions of contract
   5. Options W1, W2 and W3: Dispute resolution options
      1. Option W1
      2. Option W2
      3. Option W3
   6. Contract Data
      1. Role of the Contract Data
      2. Part One: Data provided by the Client
      3. Part Two: Data provided by the Contractor
   7. Schedule of Cost Components
      1. Role of the Schedule
      2. Defined Cost
      3. Disallowed Cost
   8. Scope
   9. Site Information
      1. Completeness of Contractor’s perception of Commercial Risk
   10. The Agreement
9. 3 Contract machinery
   1. People
      1. Client and Contractor
      2. Project Manager and Supervisor
      3. Subcontractor
      4. Others
      5. Adjudicator
      6. Consultant
      7. Promoter
   2. Programme
   3. Pricing and payment
   4. Design
      1. Design responsibility
      2. Design submission and acceptance
      3. ‘Future’ design
      4. Temporary works design
      5. Design liability
   5. Defects
   6. Dispute management
      1. Early warning
      2. Adjudication
      3. The Tribunal
   7. Communications
      1. Rigour of communication
      2. Collective responsibility
      3. Communication types
   8. Change control
      1. Time-barring
   9. Completion
      1. Definition of Completion
      2. Take over
10. 4 Collaborative working with NEC4
    1. Professional services
       1. Relationship to the building contract
       2. Application of the PSC for any discipline of Consultant
       3. Cultural and procedural change
       4. Responsibility, authority and people organisation
       5. Multidisciplinary and project-specific nature of the Scope
       6. No conventional percentage fee basis
       7. Fine-tuning a PSC Consultant’s role
    2. Subcontracting
    3. Project profiles
    4. Partnering
       1. The history of Secondary Option X12
       2. Extent of partnering
       3. Structure and status
       4. Secondary Option X12: People definitions and scope of application
       5. Implementation of Secondary Option X12 documents
       6. Partners’ management responsibilities
       7. Secondary Option X12: Multiparty collaboration clauses
    5. Framework agreements
       1. Project-specific emphasis
       2. The NEC Framework Contract
       3. Term Services
    6. Management systems
       1. Paperless methods
       2. Support
11. 5 International use
    1. Domestic and cross-border
       1. Domestic
       2. Cross-border
    2. Jurisdiction
       1. Language
       2. Culture
12. 6 In conclusion: decisive features of NEC4
    1. Relative certainty and carpe diem
       1. Temporal longstops and avoidance of delay
       2. Real time
    2. Consistency
       1. The whole project
       2. A way of life
    3. Commitment
       1. All or nothing
       2. Use patterns
13. Appendix: NEC4 ‘Toolkit’
    1. Communication checklist
14. Index