Building and Property

JCT and NEC go head to head

A Question Time-style discussion was held at Kings College London on 20 April to debate the relative merits of JCT and NEC contracts.

The event was chaired by Mr Justice Ramsey, the judge in charge of the Technology and Construction Court. The large audience heard a lively discussion on the differences between the contracts: specifically, the effect of the JCT and NEC provisions related to mutual trust and co-operation and good faith, why the forms are the way they are, assessment of matters during the works or upon final account, and the different approaches to completion.

Bribery Act: firms need to act now

Construction firms need to act quickly to ensure they have proper procedures in place to avoid tough penalties under the new Bribery Act 2010.

Anthony Barnfather, leading regulatory law specialist at Manchester solicitors Pannone, says the construction industry, which has already been the subject of significant regulatory action in respect of anti-competitive practices, is particularly vulnerable to investigations because of the size and number of contracts which they enter into.

Acas: EU law not broken at Lindsey

On 16 February the arbitration and conciliation service Acas published its report into the facts surrounding the dispute at the Lindsey oil refinery, which saw workers striking in protest at the employment of Italian and Portuguese workers on a construction project.

Record compensation in asbestos cancer case

Record compensation of more than £250,000 has been recovered by law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse at the High Court on behalf of a widow whose husband died from mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining caused by exposure to asbestos.

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