Works despite quirks: liability cap upheld by TCC notwithstanding difficult language

In Drax Energy Solutions Limited v Wipro Limited [2023], the TCC upheld a contractual clause said to impose a single liability cap for all claims arising out of a master services agreement. The Background to the Case Drax entered into […]

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No infraction of interim application deadline: TCC confirms “the Court does not deal in fractions of a day”

Elements (Europe) Ltd v FK Building Ltd [2023] In Elements (Europe) Ltd -v- FK Building Ltd [2023] EWHC 726 (TCC), the TCC has provided helpful guidance concerning the proper construction of an important element of a JCT standard form. The […]

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Variation or Rescission: A Question of Fact & Intention

How far is too far before a variation to an agreement becomes a new contract and/or a rescission of the original agreement? This was the question facing the Court of Appeal in the recent case of Cobalt Data Centre 2 […]

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No time to lose! The implied obligation as to time for completion and the perils of failing to progress works expeditiously

In the recent case of Barkby Real Estate Developments Limited v Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited [2022] the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) held a contractor liable to its employer for failing to complete its works within a “reasonable time” pursuant […]

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Be Sure to be Certain: Avoiding Potential Pitfalls with Liquidated Damages Provisions

In the recent case of Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd -v- Peel L&P Investments and Property Ltd, the TCC looked at the construction of liquidated damages provisions through the lenses of contractual uncertainty and limitation of liability. Background Buckingham Group Contracting […]

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Court refuses to enforce two adjudication awards where the claimant is subject to a CVA

The ability of a party in a company voluntary arrangement (“CVA”) to enforce an adjudicator’s decision is a question to be determined on a case-by-case basis. The recent decision in FTH Limited v Varis Developments Limited [2022] provides a useful […]

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Look back in anger: collateral warranties provided retrospectively may qualify as ‘construction contracts’

The Court of Appeal in Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Ltd v Simply Construct (UK) LLP [2022] has clarified that subject to their wording, collateral warranties may constitute construction contracts within the meaning of s104(1) of the Housing Grants, Construction and […]

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Natural Justice: it must be done

Questions of procedural fairness remain important in adjudication. In the recent case of Liverpool City Council -v- Vital Infrastructure Asset Management (VIAM) Ltd (In Administration) [2022] the Technology and Construction Court provided declaratory relief rendering an adjudicator’s decision unenforceable because […]

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Validity and Interpretation of Pay Less Notices: Be Specific

In the case of Advance JV & Ors -v- Enisca Ltd [2022] EWHC 1152, the Technology and Construction Court considered the validity and interpretation of a pay less notice which failed to refer to a particular payment application, and which […]

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Immediate Payment Obligation under Section 111 is Paramount

The important recent decision of the TCC in Bexheat Limited -v- Essex Services Group Limited [2022] serves to clarify further the paramountcy of the immediate payment obligation under s.111 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the “Act”). […]

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