Legal views – Page 91
-
Comment
Why is the OFT so unfair?: Coverpricing vs bid-rigging
Question: When is bid-rigging not bid-rigging? Answer: When it’s cover pricing. And it’s about time that our competition watchdog understood the difference
-
Comment
Look and learn: Vision vs Lancsville
Even though adjudication is well established, there are still some lessons that can be learned without trying too hard – as Vision Homes vs Lancsville makes clear
-
Comment
Green paper: Eco-ratings in contracts
Clients and buyers have come to expect a high sustainability rating for their property, but where does that leave the contractor?
-
Comment
Turning of the tide: Super litigation
Litigation is too often the meandering paddle steamer to adjudication’s inaccurate exocet. But a recent case shows courts can sometimes be both speedy and right
-
Comment
How to land in the deep end: Trade associations
Of course trade associations want to boast about their members. But in doing so, they can come perilously close to taking the rap if those members do a dud job
-
Comment
Should you fess up?: Corruption
The Serious Fraud Office’s efforts to encourage self-reporting of corruption has created quite a dilemma for the construction sector
-
Comment
All for one: The OGC's contract decision
Tony Bingham claims the Office of Government Commerce was wrong to endorse the NEC3 contract over others, but in reality this is just the standardisation he was seeking
-
Comment
Electro-shock blues
What happens if an electricity company refuses to lay cables on a developer’s neighbour’s land without its consent? A lot of strife for the developer, that’s what
-
Comment
On getting a thick ear: Trinity Walk, Wakefield
This is a story about a busted developer and a contract that contained a pay-when-paid clause. The lessons that emerge from it are harsh, but it’s a good idea to learn them
-
Comment
Be careful what you wish for: Supplemental agreements
The dire economy is prompting many parties to alter their contracts with supplemental agreements. But if you’re not careful, they may be worse than nothing
-
Comment
Wealth and safety: Risk shifting on Terminal 5
Steven Morgan, the former admiral who runs BAA’s procurement, wants to shift all risk to his contractors and consultants. That’s fine and good, but there are costs …
-
Comment
Secrets and lies: Aukett Fitzroy Robinson's fraudulent misrepresentation
A court has found architect Aukett Fitzroy Robinson guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation for failing to inform its client that a team member had quit
-
Comment
Privates on parade: Mediation
You probably like to think that mediation is a private dispute resolution method where everything is kept secret. But it seems the courts can order you to reveal all
-
Comment
Do your own dirty work: Land remediation
Cleaning up contaminated land is one of the more scary tasks that developers face, so it’s vital to make sure that your contract is up to snuff. Here’s how to do it
-
Comment
Shot by both sides: Collateral warranties for project managers
Project managers are liable to the client for all kinds of weird things, but now some contractors are asking them to sign collateral warranties
-
Comment
Good intentions vs reality: Collaborative working
The importance of collaborative working has been well understood and agreed for at least the past 45 years. The problems arise only when you actually try to do it
-
Comment
Raising the standard: International procurement standards
In a recession, a standard for procurement for construction contracts could be just what the industry needs. So what do the draft rules say, and what would they achieve?
-
Comment
How do I... issue a statutory demand?
Kicking off Berwin Leighton Paisner’s series on making the most of the legal process, Melissa Moriarty explains the use of a powerful money-extraction tool
-
Comment
The one and only: using the NEC for public projects
The Office of Government Commerce has decreed that only one form of contract be used for all public work. But how did it come that conclusion? Well, that’s a good question
-
Comment
Legal energy: clean coal power stations
Clean coal power stations have been lauded as the next big thing in energy generation, but what exactly is involved in building them?