Was it the cost that bothered the judge or the wordiness? In a case dating back to 1595, the court punished a claimant who did ‘draw, devise and engross’ paperwork which amounted to six score sheets of paper, or 120 pages. The court’s view was that it could have been
Ok. I’ll admit it. I have a bee in my bonnet about clauses which allow termination at will or termination for convenience. Essentially, a termination at will clause allows one party to simply change its mind about wanting to continue with the scope of the contract, and tell the other
This week, statues have been torn down or removed as an expression of anger at their links to slavery and racism. Often after communities endured decades of frustrating debate. But what is it that you are waiting for? What contract issue do you want to change NOW? Read the full
Dominic Cummings, a UK Government advisor, was outed for an ill-conceived trip to Barnard Castle during the Spring 2020 lockdown (a place which ought to be famous for its mechanical silver swan rather than policital shenanigans). In his statement, he made a series of increasingly bizarre claims about testing his
The scandal of construction, according to the Huxtable Report (1983) is: the persistent and continuing imposition as a matter of deliberate policy… of onerous and unfair subcontract conditions. An ideal subcontract, said the Report, was which set out the rights and obligations of the subcontractor as clearly as possible, was
According to Boris (the voice of the UK government), construction is on the naughty step! He has implied that we should have been at work all along and – accompanied by table thumping and finger wagging – we’ve been told to get off the step and go back to work.
The 2020 pandemic is increasing the speed of digital change in construction. At a LetsBuild webinar two-thirds of respondents said that the pandemic would accelerate increased digitalisation and investment in technology. As ‘Digital by Default: Construction After Covid-19‘ notes: …rapid change is the reality of the current COVID-19 crisis –
In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, parties have been burrowing into the depths of their small print like never before. I am not convinced this is the answer. For once, I am NOT alone! The UK government has issued guidance for parties to public sector contracts (PPN 02/2020) and
The best antidote to lockdown stress? Laughter. This newsletter reminds you of the humour in contracts. Yes, really… Read the full edition here What should you sign up to? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zakR-CW8UkM&feature=youtu.be
I have been researching how other countries are adapting to digital contracting. In Sweden, Skye Contracts promote contracting based on: They are interested in tremendous templates, clarity of thinking, data-driven decision-making as well as using processes that work for your business. As they state in their e-book: The new world