A works contract for builders, contractors and trades. Sets out the programme and what moves it, monthly payment against work completed, retention, written instructions for variations, a twelve-month defects period, insurance and site safety responsibilities.
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This template covers the clauses a Construction & Trades contract needs — written in plain language your client can actually read.
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Define what moves the completion date before work starts: variations, weather beyond what the season would reasonably bring, and delay caused by the employer. A programme with no relief mechanism turns every delay into a dispute about fault.
Insist that no variation is valid unless instructed in writing, and that each instruction records the change in scope, price and programme together. Recording the price without the programme is how projects finish late at the agreed cost.
Set retention explicitly: the percentage held, and the event that releases it. Five per cent held to the end of the defects period is a common arrangement.
State the defects period and what falls outside it. Twelve months from practical completion, excluding misuse, fair wear and tear, and work by others, is a defensible baseline.
Confirm insurance in the contract, not just in conversation. Public liability and, where the job needs it, contractors all risks cover, with certificates available on request.
What is the difference between a construction contract and a quote?
A quote states a price for described work. A contract states the price and everything else: the programme, how variations are priced, what happens to defects, who insures what, and how either party can end the arrangement. A signed quote alone leaves all of that unresolved.
What is practical completion?
The point at which the works are finished enough for the employer to take and use them, even if minor items remain outstanding. It usually starts the defects period and triggers release of part of the retention.
How do I handle variations without losing money?
Price the change and the programme impact together, get it in writing, and do not start the varied work until both are agreed. The template makes written instruction a condition of the variation being valid at all.
Does a construction contract need to be witnessed?
For an ordinary commercial works contract signed as a simple contract, no. Witnessing is associated with deeds, which are used for longer limitation periods or where no consideration passes. If you are unsure which you need for a particular project, take advice on that specific point.
This template is a starting point, not legal advice. Contract law differs by country and by sector — have a lawyer review it before you rely on it for anything significant.
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