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The detail matters.
A few questions worth asking before you sign.
How many days until payment? When must you apply, and how must notices be served?
How much is held back, and what triggers each release?
What can be deducted? What notice and evidence are required?
What design are you responsible for, and what standard must it meet?
What are the key dates? How do you notify delay, and what happens if delays are concurrent?
How much per day or week? Is there a cap, and when can they apply?
Who can instruct a change? How do you notify it, agree its value and get paid?
Who can end the contract, on what grounds, and what happens to payment?
Common review areas. The terms in your contract will determine the risks.
Contract reviews for subcontractors
Know the risks. Spot the opportunities. Before you sign.
A subcontract review from LJS looks at more than the clauses. We identify the commercial risks in the terms you've been sent, suggest practical ways to manage them, and point out where there may be opportunities to protect or improve your margin. It draws on more than 20 years across quantity surveying and commercial project delivery, including main-contractor experience.
What a review helps you understand
- Payment terms: when and how you must apply, the payment periods, and which notices must be served, and by when.
- Retention: how much is held and what triggers each release.
- Notice periods: the deadlines and formats for notifying delays, variations or other events, and what happens if a notice is late or missed.
- Variations: who can instruct a change, how it must be recorded, and how it will be valued and paid.
- Set-off and contra charges: what can be deducted from your payments, and what notice and evidence is required.
- Liability and damages: liquidated damages, caps, indemnities and design responsibility.
- Termination: who can end the contract, on what grounds, and what happens to payment.
- Opportunities: points to clarify, qualify or negotiate before signing, and ways the terms could help you protect or improve margin.
A contract review is a commercial review by a quantity surveyor. It is not legal advice.
What to send us
- The subcontract or order you've been asked to sign, including any schedule of amendments
- Any documents it refers to that you have, such as the scope, specification, programme or main contract extracts
- Your quotation or tender, if the subcontract is based on it
- The date you need to sign or respond by
What you get back
- A written summary of the key commercial terms
- The main risks, with practical suggestions for managing them
- Opportunities to protect or improve your margin
- Points to clarify or negotiate with the contractor before you sign
Fees
- Contract review: £200 per review
- General advice and checking work: £85 per hour
- Scope and fee are confirmed before any work starts.
Prefer to email the contract? Send it to info@ljsquantitysurveying.com.
Before you send your contract
Contract review questions
What is a subcontract review?
A quantity surveyor reads the subcontract or order you've been sent and explains the commercial risks, how to manage them, and any opportunities to protect your margin, before you sign.
How much does a contract review cost?
£200 per review for a typical subcontract or order. Heavily amended terms or large document sets are quoted before we start. General advice and checking work is £85 per hour.
Which contracts do you review?
JCT and NEC subcontracts, contractors' own bespoke terms, and purchase orders with terms attached.
What do I need to send?
The subcontract or order, any schedule of amendments, the documents it refers to, your quotation if the subcontract is based on it, and the date you need to sign by.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's a commercial review by a quantity surveyor. If a point needs a solicitor, we'll say so.
Do you only work in the East Midlands?
We're based in Kegworth and work remotely across the UK, with site visits across the East Midlands, including Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
Ready to review your contract?
Contract review: £200 per review. Scope and fee are confirmed before any work starts.