A new suite of NEC contracts which has been updated to reflect preferred practices in government contracts will be launched next week.
The NEC3 April 2013 suite of contracts includes an updated version of all the contracts, guidance notes and flow charts with improvements and additions across most documents. The suite will also include:
- Project Bank Accounts provisions. Guidance is provided across the suite of NEC3 contracts. This is a direct response to the UK government’s initiative on fair payment, designed to improve payment practices across the construction industry and eliminate retentions throughout the supply chain
- The additions and updates of the Construction Act 2011
- The NEW Professional Service Short Contract (PSSC), which is the latest NEC3 contract to launch. The PSSC was jointly created with the Association for Project Management (APM) and has been designed for consultancy on smaller scale projects, where less sophisticated levels of management are required.
The contracts, which cover the lifespan of a project from initial concept and design through to build and post-build management, are endorsed by the construction client board of the UK Cabinet Office for use on all public sector construction projects.
In addition to the UK Cabinet Office endorsement, the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and Facilities Management (FM) Board have also extended their recommendation and support to the use of the Term Service Contracts to support good practice in FM procurement in the public sector.
The key objective of all NEC3 contracts is to encourage parties to work together to allocate risks and create a working relationship that will ultimately provide value for money for the purchaser and a reasonable return for the supplier.
Rekha Thawrani, general manager from NEC, said: “For NEC3 to be endorsed by the UK government, for the collaborative approach the contracts encourage and the contributing factor they played in the timely and cost-effective delivery of the Olympic Park last year, is testament to NEC3’s value across all sectors of the industry.
This latest suite of contracts will also include the launch of the new ‘How To’ practical guides, designed specifically to aid practitioners in their use of NEC3 by improving the set up and management of their NEC3 contracts. The new series of ‘How To’ books include:
- How to write the ECC Works Information
- How to use the ECC communication forms
- How to write the PSC Scope
- How to use the PSC communication forms
- How to write the TSC Service Information
- How to use the TSC communication forms
- How to use BIM with NEC3 Contracts
