Construction Contracts

Title: "Construction Contracts: Law and Management" by Will Hughes, Ronan Champion, and John Murdoch

Overview: The fifth edition of "Construction Contracts: Law and Management" is a comprehensive textbook that provides a one-stop reference for students and practitioners in the field of construction law and management. The book has been thoroughly revised to offer the most up-to-date and detailed coverage of the legislation, administration, and management of construction contracts.

Key Themes:

1. Procurement and Tendering: The book covers significant new material on procurement and tendering processes, including the identification and choice of procurement methods.
2. Dispute Settlement: It includes developments in dispute settlement, providing commentary on all key legislation, case law, and contract amendments.
3. Risk Allocation: The authors discuss risk allocation in construction management, including types of risk in construction contracts and approaches to dealing with risk.
4. Collaborative Contracting: The book explores collaborative contracting, its principles, characteristics, and approaches to managing risk within collaborative frameworks.
5. Contract Choice: It examines the use of standard contracts (such as JCT, NEC3, and FIDIC) and contract drafting, providing insights into contract choice and management.

Plot Summary: The book is structured to cover various aspects of construction contracts, including:

• UK Construction Sector Context: An overview of the UK construction sector and its legal framework.
• Roles and Relationships: Discussions on the roles and relationships within construction projects.
• General Contracting and Design-Build: Explorations of general contracting and design-build methods.
• Construction Management: Detailed insights into construction management practices.
• Collaborative Contracting: Principles and characteristics of collaborative contracting.
• Risk Allocation and Procurement Decisions: Types of risk in construction contracts and strategies for managing them.
• Contract Choice: Use of standard contracts and contract drafting.
• Liability in Contract and Tort: Legal liabilities in contract and tort.
• Contractor’s and Employer’s Obligations: Responsibilities of contractors and employers.
• Responsibility for Design: Design responsibilities and liabilities.
• Time and Payment: Time and payment aspects of construction contracts.
• Contractors’ Delay and Disruption Costs: Managing delay and disruption costs.
• Insurance and Bonds: Role of insurance and bonds in construction contracts.
• Role of the Contract Administrator: Responsibilities of the contract administrator.
• Sub-contracts: Management of sub-contracts.
• Financial Remedies for Breach of Contract: Remedies for breaches of contract.
• Defective Buildings and Subsequent Owners: Legal implications for defective buildings and subsequent owners.
• Suspension and Termination of Contracts: Procedures for suspending or terminating contracts.
• Non-adversarial and Adversarial Dispute Resolution: Methods for resolving disputes non-adversarially and adversarially.

Critical Reception: The book has received positive reviews for its comprehensive coverage and authoritative insights into construction contracts. It is considered essential reading for construction undergraduates and a valuable reference for practitioners in the field. The fifth edition has been praised for its thorough revisions, making it a go-to resource for anyone involved in construction law and management.

Availability: The book is available in paperback and as an eBook, providing flexibility for readers to access the material in their preferred format.