Opinion – Page 648
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Comment
Not a penny more?
Richard Guit - The fixed-price contract is at the heart of the PFI environment, but it means the construction contractor must take on the risk when there are cost overruns
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Comment
Man of the match
Andrew Hemsley - Whatever you may think of it, clients are using PPC2000, which makes the role of partnering adviser crucial to a project's success
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Comment
Shout it from the rooftops
Gerald Kaufman - Elections used to be won and lost on housing. This time, it'll barely be mentioned – even though, as a new report points out, it's still an explosive issue.
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Comment
One-nil to the chickens
Dominic Helps - At last, we have the final judgment in Discain vs Opecprime. By backing Opecprime, the judge has made the lives of adjudicators everywhere more difficult.
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Comment
Difficult sums
Tony Bingham - If a delay leaves you temporarily out of pocket, but does not dent your profit, should you recover losses? One judge said yes, but an adjudicator might not agree …
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Comment
Why we should ditch retention
James Bessey - Retention is a time-honoured method of keeping contractors and subcontractors on their toes by withholding a fixed sum of money. The problem is: it doesn't work
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Comment
A question of judgment
Robert Akenhead - It is extremely difficult to get a court judgment set aside, as a contractor in Bedfordshire found out to its relief when it was accused of fraud
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Comment
For what it's worth …
Gus Alexander - Abolishing the RIBA advisory fee scale, as the government wants, is another sign of our crass inability to appreciate the value of good design
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Comment
Looking on the dark side
Patrick Holmes - Stock market dives have sparked fears of recession. So, if the economy does turn down, who's going to lose out? And what can they do about it?
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Comment
You're asking for it
Tony Bingham - Adjudicators can only do what they are asked to do, so if you don't get the wording right in the referral notice, you're likely to come unstuck
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Comment
From beyond the grave …
Julian Holloway - A Court of Appeal decision on a negligence case may mean that contractors and architects are liable for claims they thought were dead and buried
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Comment
Day of the triffids
Simon Tolson - Contamination doesn't just apply to toxic chemicals. It can apply to hazardous plants and weeds that have to be removed. Worse, the contractor can end up paying
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Comment
The Tony age
Jonathan Meades - Politics tends to have less of an influence over design than brute economics – which is a good thing, considering the shallowness of "New" Labour
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Comment
Enemies of the state
Colin Harding - Pension scheme employers are being asked to stump up to cover the pension industry's incompetence and the government's desperation to avoid blame
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Comment
Crowded house
Regeneration - Last week, the House Builders Federation warned that housing supply is at its lowest level for 50 years. Gareth Capner says it's time to admit brownfield is not enough
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Comment
Knock-on costs
Ann Minogue - Demolition contractors can be liable for damage to adjoining buildings – even if they could not have foreseen its precise cause
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Comment
Get off my back
Tony Bingham Main contractors that try to say provisions in their contract with the client should apply to subcontracts are almost always wrong. And now adjudicators can say so
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Comment
Don't get caught by foot and mouth
Simon Lewis Do the standard forms protect contractors from losses caused by emergency exclusion measures to tackle the latest livestock epidemic?
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Comment
Read the small print
Robert Akenhead - It will now be harder to overturn clauses limiting liability, after a Court of Appeal ruling that firms should be presumed to know what they are agreeing to
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Comment
The Science Museum
John Redmond - Individuals may not be able to hide behind the sanctity of the 'corporate veil' for much longer, but these are early days to anticipate a change to the status quo