Contract Administration & Employers Agent
The terms Contract Administrator and Employers Agent are a regular source of confusion yet in reality they are different names to describe the same role. The only differences is that an Employers Agent performs the contract administration role within design and build contracts whereas the Contract Administrator performs the same contract administration role in traditional forms of contract. The roles are futher confused with the project management role but in simple terms project management covers the whole project lifecycle whereas the Employers Agent and contract administration role principally exist within the post contract phase, once a contractor has been appointed. Easy to us but not so for clients who often get baffled with industry jargon and technicalities – You don’t get that at Record Associates as we operate using Plain English at all times.
We understand the Employers Agent role
Record Associates are very familiar with both these roles and have performed the Employers Agent, Contract Administration and Construction Project Management roles on small (<£100k), medium (<£1m) and large (£1m+) contracts and will work in partnership with you to deliver your project on time, within budget and to the required quality parameters.
Equally importantly we understand the common areas of dispute and key conditions for success including:
- Ensuring there are no errors or ambiguities in the documentation
- Establishing an orders of precedence to documentation
- Clearly setting out grey areas in roles and responsibilities
- Agreement of cost and programme impacts as part of any changes
- Specifically addressing key areas of dispute such as Concurrent Delay (see JCT News article)
- Maintaining a clear audit trail and communicating clearly
- Transferal of weather risk
- Clearly setting out design responsibilities for each element
- Establishing mutually agreed arrangements for valuation of completed works and certification of valuations
- Setting out key completion criteria
- Advance planning of commissioning and handover process
We are also fully conversant with the range of contracts which may be used including the JCT and NEC suites of contracts.
We cover a broad geographic area which includes Mid Wales, the East Midlands and West Midlands and all the major centres including Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Chester, Telford, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester – though we have taken on larger commissions from further afield. If you are in any doubt just ask and we would be delighted to assist.
