Contracts / JCT
JCT, in plain English.
The Joint Contracts Tribunal forms are the most familiar contracts in UK building. They document a traditional relationship between an employer and a contractor, and they settle time and money on two separate tracks. Here is how the parts that decide a claim actually work.
The family
One name, several forms
JCT is not a single contract but a family of standard forms, each sized to a different kind of job. The main ones you will meet:
Standard Building Contract (SBC)
The traditional route: the employer’s team designs, the contractor builds. Used on larger, more complex jobs where the design is largely fixed before work starts.
Design and Build (DB)
The contractor takes on the design as well as the build, against the employer’s requirements. The most common route on a great deal of current work.
Intermediate (IC and ICD)
A middle tier for works of moderate complexity. ICD adds a portion of contractor design.
Minor Works (MW and MWD)
The short form for small, simple projects. MWD adds a contractor-design portion.
Time
Extension of time
When something outside the contractor’s control delays the job, JCT provides a route to more time. Getting it right protects against damages for late completion.
Relevant Events
JCT lists the causes of delay that can justify more time, called Relevant Events. They include variations, delayed information, exceptionally adverse weather and events outside the contractor’s control. If the delay is caused by one of them, an extension of time may be due.
Notice when it becomes apparent
The contractor is expected to notify a delay when it becomes reasonably apparent, not months later. There is no fixed countdown as there is in NEC, but leaving it late weakens the position and can affect what is recoverable.
The contract administrator assesses
On the traditional forms an architect or contract administrator reviews the delay and grants a fair extension. On Design and Build the employer’s agent takes that role. The assessment is a judgement, which is why the supporting record matters.
Time first, money second
An extension of time protects the contractor from damages for late completion. It does not by itself pay for the delay. The money runs on a separate track called loss and expense.
Money
Loss and expense
Time and money are separate under JCT. An extension keeps damages off your back; it does not pay for the disruption. That is what loss and expense is for.
Relevant Matters
The money side of a claim runs on Relevant Matters: employer-side causes such as variations, late information or disruption to the regular progress of the works. Where one of them causes loss, direct loss and expense can be claimed.
Ascertained after the event
Unlike NEC, JCT tends to settle the cost after it has been incurred rather than pricing it up front. The contractor substantiates the actual loss and the contract administrator or quantity surveyor ascertains it.
Notice and substantiation
A loss and expense claim depends on timely application and evidence: what happened, what it cost and how the two are linked. A thin record is the single most common reason a genuine claim is discounted.
Completion and payment
Finishing the job, and getting paid
Practical completion
The point at which the works are complete enough to be handed over and used, give or take minor snags. It stops damages for delay running, releases part of the retention and starts the defects period.
Rectification period
A defined window after practical completion, often six or twelve months, during which the contractor returns to put right defects that appear. At the end, a certificate confirms making good.
Liquidated damages
If the contractor finishes late without a valid extension, JCT lets the employer deduct damages at a pre-agreed rate per week. The rate is set in the contract, so it is certain in advance and does not need to be proved as an actual loss.
Payment under the Construction Act
Payment follows the statutory scheme: an application, a payment notice stating the sum due, and a pay less notice if the payer intends to pay less. Miss the notice deadlines and the applied-for sum can become payable in full.
Where the record fits
“Reasonably apparent” is an evidence question
Almost every JCT trigger comes back to what was known, and when. A delay notice is due when the delay becomes reasonably apparent. A loss and expense claim stands or falls on substantiation. Construction Metric keeps that record as the job happens, from the WhatsApp group, photos, voice notes and emails your team already sends, so the evidence exists before anyone needs it.
Common questions
What is the difference between JCT and NEC?
JCT documents a traditional two-party job and settles time and money on separate tracks, largely after the event. NEC manages the job proactively and rolls time and money together into compensation events priced as they arise, with strict notification windows. Neither is better in the abstract; they suit different projects and cultures.
Which JCT contract should I be looking at?
It depends on who holds the design and how complex the works are. Design and Build is very common where the contractor carries the design. Standard Building Contract suits larger traditional jobs. Intermediate and Minor Works cover smaller works. Your executed contract names the exact form and edition.
Does an extension of time mean I get paid for the delay?
No. An extension of time protects you from liquidated damages for finishing late. Recovering the cost of the delay is a separate loss and expense claim that turns on Relevant Matters and has to be substantiated on its own.
Do the clause numbers on this page apply to my contract?
Treat them as a guide to the mechanisms, not a citation for your job. JCT forms differ between editions, and most contracts carry a schedule of amendments that changes periods and procedures. Always read your executed contract as amended.
General information about standard contract forms, not legal or contractual advice. No JCT contract wording is reproduced here; JCT text is the copyright of its publisher. Forms differ by edition and are routinely amended, so your project can depart from the published defaults. Your executed contract, as amended, always governs. For a decision on a specific matter, take professional advice.