Guide to JCT Minor Works Building Contract 2016

7Certification

7.1 One of the most important duties of the contract administrator under MW16 is to certify sums properly due to the contractor. Whether or not a quantity surveyor is employed, the contract administrator is responsible for both the valuations and for issuing certificates. It is a duty to be exercised with care and skill, and failure in this respect could amount to negligence. On the one hand, the contractor depends on the cash flow which proper payment should provide, and is entitled to be paid in accordance with the terms of the contract. On the other hand, overvaluation and certification could place the employer’s interests at risk should the contractor become bankrupt, perhaps leaving a legacy of faulty workmanship and disputes ...