Contract terms for construction contracts

This article lists the terms that are commonly referred to in a construction contract. In some cases different contracts may use different terms, where this is the case, alternatives are shown.

NB The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Glossary of procurement terms, suggests the contract term (or contract period) can also refer to: ‘…the length of time during which the contract operates... It begins with the START DATE and ends with the EXPIRY DATE. The start date is not necessarily the date on which the contract is signed, but the date on which it comes into effect. The expiry date may be expressed as an actual calendar date (preferred) or as a given number of months (e.g., 36 months) from the start date.’

• Application for payment (see fair payment practices)
• Architect's instruction / contract administrator's instruction
• Bill of quantities
• Bond
• Building log book
• Building owner's manual / operation and maintenance manual (O&M manual)
• Building users guide
• Certificate of making good defects / certificate of making good
• Collateral warranty
• Construction phase plan
• Contract sum analysis
• Contractor design
• Contractor’s master programme
• Contractor’s proposals
• Default payment notice (see fair payment practices)
• Contract drawings
• Design documents
• Disputes
• Employers requirements
• Extensions of time
• Final account
• Final certificate
• Governing law
• Health and safety file
• Information release schedule
• Insurance
• Interim certificate
• Joint fire code
• Loss and expense
• Method statement
• Pay less notice (see fair payment practices)
• Parent company guarantee
• Payment notice (see fair payment practices)
• Performance bond
• Practical completion certificate / substantial completion certificate
• Preliminaries
• Retention
• Risk assessment
• Schedule of defects
• Schedule of work
• Site waste management plan
• Specification
• Strikes and lock outs
• Termination
• VAT