The Classification of Construction Claims
Claims in the construction industry have been increasing in popularity due to the complexity of building projects. It’s more or less become common in the working environment, unfortunately. Construction claims consultants have become invaluable due to the upward trend of drafting claims for the many inevitable faults in a contract.
There are various ways to classify a construction claim, each one specifically targeting a certain area of the project. This categorization helps the construction claims management aspect by maintaining a well-organized plan.
Contractual claims primarily deal with terms within the contract. Such things as: delays, valuation, and variation. Extra-contractual claims deal with a breach of contract. You can expect to see this type of claim filed if a project required more work because of the client providing defective products. Lastly, ex-gratia claims are drafted when the contractor believes that there is a justified call for action based on moral grounds. For example, if material prices were to suddenly increase; causing the contractor to go over the allotted budget, he could seek out a construction claims expert to have them draft a claim requesting the funds needed to resume the project.
Consulting and hiring a construction claims consultant is recommended to help speed up the claim process. Also, by ensuring the claim is accurate and well-managed, there will be a noticeable difference in how effective it will be in the long run.
The scale of projects has become larger – with that brings a larger pricing structure to work with. Legal approaches, by both owners and contractors, have become more policy-stricken and reliant on claims and claim management.