Construction Contracts Amendment Bill passed

Amendments to the Construction Contracts Act passed in Parliament yesterday. These changes will affect everyone in the construction industry, from principals to head contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers and quantity surveyors.

Key changes being brought into effect are:

• From 1 December 2015, most distinctions under the Act relating to different treatment of residential and commercial construction contracts will be removed, and changes to the adjudication process under the Act come into effect.
• From 1 September 2016, design, engineering and quantity surveying work will be covered by the Act.
• From 31 March 2017, new rules around holding retention payments on trust will come into force.