Opinion – Page 639
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Comment
Dumb and dumber
Adjudicators are full of bright ideas about the law but if they don't tell the parties about one until the decision, isn't that a breach of natural justice?
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Comment
Smooth operator
The SCL protocol on extensions of time isn't a contractual obligation, but used correctly it can keep a contract running on time and without disputes
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Comment
It's a girl thing
Why does it seem that the women in construction are so much more worried about keeping staff happy? Come on guys, admit there's a problem
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Comment
Catch of the day
Win or lose, at least you used to know where you stood with costs and payments into court. Nowadays it's a grey area that can easily become a swirling fog
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Comment
Don't even think about it
Adjudication is potentially so flawed that even a lousy claim stands a chance of success. So for main contractors and employers, deterrence is the name of the game
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Comment
Olympian folly
Everyone is so keen on a British Olympic bid that they're failing to ask whether London really wants to host the games – let alone whether it actually can
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Comment
Joint roasting
Be wary of situations that may give rise to joint liability in due diligence work. If the other party can't pay its part, you could be landed with the whole lot
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Comment
Error of our ways
Surely some mistake? You bet – the construction industry makes them every day of the week. But the great thing about blunders is that they can be put right
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Comment
Ups and downs of LIFT
The Local Infrastructure Finance Trust aims to combine facilities for health and social services. But will the disparate local stakeholders unite under the LIFT banner?
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Comment
Let's ditch the JCT
Despite their ferocious complexity and bewildering draftsmanship, the industry is still clinging to JCT forms. There are alternatives, and we should use them
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Comment
Banquo's ghost
If you think that as long as a letter is headed with the words 'without prejudice' it's off the record, you could find it haunts you in court
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Comment
The last battle
A final account statement may seem like a once-and-for-all agreement – but it is not. Get into a dispute and you may find the contract gives it no weight at all
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Comment
Follow the pied piper
Egan is leading us to a wonderful, magical world where buildings are replaced by clip-together kits and all our trained craftsmen mysteriously disappear …
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Comment
From ghetto to des res
The best way to regenerate an area is to make it attractive to wealthy households. That requires money for better services and a culture change among housebuilders
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Comment
A Makarios moment
This year's book review includes an unmissable contract dictionary, even if it was attended by a meeting with the men in black, including a ghost from the Seventies