Highlighting the risks to specialist contractors who work with large main contractors, a recent survey by StreetwiseSubbie has revealed that up to 93% of specialist contractors experience disputes regularly or occasionally. Unsurprisingly, 82% said that payment is the main cause of disputes, and 95% of the 506 respondents also agreed with the statement that neither trade associations or the Government is doing enough to address the problem.
To address these problems, StreetwiseSubbie, a firm that provides contractual and commercial management support for specialist contractors, is holding a series of one-day Contractual Training Events across the UK in November.
The events, entitled ‘Understand your contract to minimise risk and maximise profit’, are designed to give specialist contractors the knowledge and skills necessary to manage contracts effectively, and to challenge main contractors when they ride roughshod over the payment process.
Taking place in Manchester and Loughborough during November, the events provide a detailed grounding in the essential elements of subcontract law and procedures. Emphasis will be on JCT sub contracts, and training covers practical aspects of how contracts are formed and how to understand and use the key provisions of the contract.
These events are exclusively for specialist contractors and will appeal to everyone who works with construction contracts, including estimators, contracts managers, project managers, commercial managers, quantity surveyors, credit controllers and company owners and directors.
There will be sessions to cover formation of the contract, time, notices, delay, disruption and variations. There will also be sessions dedicated to getting paid on time, resolving conflicts and disputes.
Barry Ashmore, MD of StreetwiseSubbie, says; “At a time when main contractors are trying every way possible to ensure they maximise profits at the expense of the Subbie, it is vital that Specialist Contractors understand exactly what they are agreeing to when they sign a contract. It’s also important to realise that the contract is an important working tool and not something to be hidden away in a drawer.”
“Specialist contractors often end up at the mercy of the contractor simply because they don’t understand the contract or do not apply it when they should. This dedicated training will help delegates to understand the fundamentals of those subcontracts and give them more confidence when dealing with contractual matters or challenging payment issues.”
Many Specialist Contractors fall into the same traps that unreasonable and unscrupulous main contractors set for them and are left carrying the can when it all goes wrong. They can start to fight back by improving the way they use and manage the contractual process.
To secure a place on one of the events, please call StreetwiseSubbie on 01773 712116 or email info@streetwisesubbie.com. Discounts are available for early booking and two or more delegates from the same business. The next dates and venues are:
Thursday 16th November 2017 – Holiday Inn Central Park, Manchester
Thursday 23rd November 2107 – The Link Hotel, Loughborough
