← Practice & Standards
Building Contract
PRACTICE & STANDARDSintermediate
Definition
A legal agreement between a client and a contractor defining the scope of work, price, programme, and responsibilities for a construction project. Standard forms of contract (JCT, NEC) are widely used to define risk allocation and dispute resolution procedures. The architect often administers the contract on behalf of the client.
Example
The JCT Standard Building Contract (SBC) is the most commonly used form in the UK for medium to large commercial building projects — it allocates risk between client and contractor and provides mechanisms for managing variations and extensions of time.