An introduction to construction contracts

When construction contracts go wrong, it can be very expensive and create a number of issues of all involved in a project. It is extremely important that when you enter into a contract that it accurately and precisely records the agreed terms between the parties while adequately balancing risk.

When seeking to draft a construction contract, many parties often rely on easily accessible, "boilerplate contracts" such as those provided under the Australian Standard (AS) and Housing Industry Association, or Master Builders Association. However, given the evolving nature of the legal climate and the increasing uncertainty in the building and construction industry following the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the fact that some of these standard form contracts were released more than twenty years ago, there is often a need to closely examine your choice of contract and how it is to be amended before entering into it.