Construction Contract Variations

Changes to the work on construction projects are a common cause of dispute. Such variations lead to thousands of claims in the UK every year and many more internationally. Liability for variations is not only relevant to claims for sums due for extra work but this is also an important underlying factor in many other construction disputes, such as delay, disruption, defects and project termination. This is the first book to deal exclusively with variations in construction contracts and provide the detailed and comprehensive coverage that it demands.

Construction Contract Variations analyses the issues that arise in determining whether certain work is a variation, the contractor’s obligation to undertake such work as well as its right to be paid. It deals with the employer’s power to vary and the extent of its duties to approve changes. The book also analyses the role of the consultant in the process and the valuation of variations. It reviews these topics by reference to a range of construction contracts.

This is an essential guide for practitioners and industry professionals who advise on these issues and have a role in managing, directing and compensating change. Participants in the construction industry will find this book an invaluable guide, as will specialists and students of construction law, project management and quantity surveying.

Michael Sergeant qualified as a solicitor in 1995, and has specialised in construction law ever since. He is a partner at Holman Fenwick Willan, and is based in London, but has extensive involvement on international projects.

Max Wieliczko has worked exclusively as a construction lawyer since 1987, providing advice in relation to all aspects of project procurement, delivery, dispute avoidance and resolution. He is also a partner at Holman Fenwick Willan. Max is based in London, but advises project sponsors, and major international construction companies in relation to projects around the globe, both on and off-shore.