Publication of the NEC4 Suite of Contracts

07.03.17

On Friday 3 March 2017 the NEC Contract Board announced it is preparing to launch a new suite of contracts - the NEC4.

The new NEC4 suite will be published on 22 June 2017. Its predecessor, the NEC3 was first released in 2005 and has grown in popularity and is now widely used throughout the construction industry.

The NEC3 can probably be regarded as the most successful of the contract suites published by NEC and 12 years on the NEC is hoping to build on the success of the NEC3 with the evolution of NEC4.

According to NEC, the new NEC4 has been produced to reflect user feedback, industry developments and best practice. It is said to provide an increased flexibility in each contract and to be suitable for international use.

New Contracts

In addition to updating the existing suite of contracts, the NEC4 suite will feature two completely new contracts; the Design, Build and Operate Contract and the Alliance Contract.

According to NEC, the new 'DBO' contract (as it has been coined), has been designed to reflect "the increasing demand for contracts extending into the operation phase." Whereas the Alliance Contract "has been created to support clients wishing to fully integrate a multi-party delivery team for large complex projects." The Alliance Contract also aims to reduce the potential for disputes by emphasising a deeper collaboration between project partners.

If you would like any advice on the introduction of NEC4, please do not hesitate to get in contact.

 

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