SA Affordable Housing January / February 2017 // Issue: 62 | Page 6

ASSOCIATIONS

The 10 golden rules for
building contractors
Before signing any contract for new building work, there are 10
important points for a contractor to consider, says Uwe Putlitz, CEO of
the Joints Building Contracts Committee (JBCC).

Before accepting the award of any tender, building contractors should draw up a checklist. Image: JBCC

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BCC is a non-profit company which represents building
owners and developers, professional consultants, and
general and specialist contractors who provide input
for the compilation of JBCC agreements that portray the
consensus view of the committee’s constituent members.
JBCC agreements are accredited by the Construction
Industry Development Board (CIDB) for use by Organs of
State.
Putlitz says before accepting the award of any tender,
building contractors should draw up the following
checklist and then work according to it:
1. Carefully read the tender documents and make sure
that they fully understand all the documents, including
the Bill of Quantities, drawings provided, or any other
relevant documents;
2. Check if there are any contradictions between the
various documents;
3. Check if any items are ‘hidden’ in the preliminaries or
other tender documents that may vary from the
standard conditions of contract or other rights the
contractor may have, and check that all listed
documents have the number of pages stated;

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JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2017

AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING

4. Insist on an original, unaltered standard building
contract, signed by both the employer and the
contractor before starting any work (and obtain a copy);
5. Check if securities must be provided between the
parties involved;
6. Check who is responsible for specified insurances that
must be provided before the start of the works;
7. Make sure that applicable statutory approvals to be
obtained by the employer and/or contractor have been
obtained to allow the work to start on the intended
dates;
8. Establish if there are any other reasons that could
prevent access to the site or the execution of the works;
9. Agree to provide the same contractual documentation
to subcontractors relevant to their specialisation; and
10. Confirm that all key responsibilities and relevant
persons have been identified by the employer and
contractor.
“Assuming all these criteria are met, construction can
begin. If not, there could be delays and the contractor may
already have a claim for additional time before any work
has started,” Putlitz adds.