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Module 1 Contract Management for Scaffolders, Course V2 (Proofing)

Introduction to
Contract Management

Contract management, project management vs contract management, the project lifecycle, the parties, the standard forms, the legal floor.

By the end of this module you'll be able to
  • Explain what contract management means in scaffolding and how it differs from operational project management
  • Identify the six stages of the contract lifecycle
  • Describe the project hierarchy from employer to subcontractor and explain the commercial significance of each level
  • Recognise JCT, NEC3, NASC Scaffolding Contract 2018 and bespoke
  • Identify the parties in a typical scaffolding chain
  • Name the three layers of law that sit above every contract
  • Apply basic contract management principles to protect your commercial position from the start of a project
Read time: ~25 minutes Knowledge check: 10 questions, 8 correct to pass CPD Certificate: Awarded on full course completion

What's Contract Management?

Introduction overview ~ 2 min

Managing a scaffolding contract commercially is a different set of skills to running the job operationally. This module sets out the foundations: what contract management means in scaffolding, where you sit in the project hierarchy, and what you need to do from before you even get to site to protect your commercial position (your cash) while still delivering on site.

Once the contract is signed, someone has to keep on top of the scope, manage program changes, and make sure the money doesn't only get collected, but it's right for the work done. That's the contract manager. You deliver what was agreed, on time, on budget, and to the right standard, while protecting your cash and keeping the client happy so you can win the next job.

Why Understanding Contracts Matters

Contract management is the difference between a job that pays and a job that bleeds money. Get it right and disputes are easy to manage, cost and time stay on track, the relationship survives and you build relationships that carry to other projects. Get it wrong and you're in adjudication, chasing payment, or losing out at final account.

The contract dictates who pays, who carries the risk, and who wins when something goes wrong. Comparatively the work on site can be straightforward. Making sense of the paperwork can be tough. Getting paid for it can be tougher. Managing the contract is where the money's made or lost. This is where a Contract manager earns their pay.

Most SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) construction companies sign contracts they haven't read or don't understand what they're signing up to. That's a statistical fact. Companies price jobs without seeing the main contract. They sign PTC minutes they haven't checked. Take verbal instructions they never confirm in writing. Every one of those is a hole in the bucket. This generally happens due to naivety, wanting to please the client, excitement over winning the work, time pressure or lack of experience. At the point of award, the Main Contractor needs you on site, they're pushing things through and once you agree, or you put kit and a man on-site, the problems become yours, not theirs and any bargaining position to effect change evaporates quickly.

Quick definition

PCM (Pre-Contract Meeting) is the meeting itself, typically held after tender and before contract signing. PTC (Post-Tender Clarifications) are the items discussed and recorded within that meeting. PCM is the event; PTC is the content.

Teaching point

From tender to final account, if it's not communicated in writing, it didn't happen.

The written record obligation, what the contracts say

This isn't just good practice. It's written into the contract.

Topic JCT SBCSub/C 2016 NEC3 ECS NASC Scaffolding Contract 2018
Instruction requirement Instructions must be in writing. Oral instructions may be confirmed by the subcontractor within 7 days (Clause 3.6) All communications must be in a form that can be read, copied, and recorded (Clause 13.1). This includes compensation event notifications Oral instructions must be confirmed in writing by the Contractor within 2 working days (Clause 6.1). No entitlement to additional payment for instructions not confirmed as a Variation (Clause 6.2)
Consequence of silence Unconfirmed oral instruction is unenforceable as a Variation Compensation event not notified within 8 weeks is time-barred, you lose the money (Clause 61.3) Without written confirmation, there is no entitlement. The Scaffolding Contractor carries out the instruction but cannot claim additional payment (Clause 6.2)

The NASC position is clear: instruct it in writing or you don't get paid for it. And the 2-day window for written confirmation puts the clock on the Contractor, not you, but if they don't confirm and you don't chase it, the entitlement goes. NEC3 is even more punishing: miss the 8-week compensation event notification and you lose the right to claim entirely.

Citation

NASC Scaffolding Contract 2018, Construction Industry Publications Ltd (ISBN 9781852631529), Clauses 6.1 to 6.2

This course shows you how to plug the holes. It uses NASC commercial guidance as the backbone. RICS and CIOB sit alongside. UK construction law sits underneath everything.

Industry facts
  • Failure to administer the contract is the #1 cause of UK construction disputes for four consecutive years. Almost two-thirds of respondents say better contract administration would have prevented their dispute. (Arcadis, 2024)
  • Poor contract management loses the average organisation 9 to 11% of contract value annually. (World Commerce and Contracting)
  • 54% of UK construction insolvencies in March 2025 were specialist subcontractors. That's people and companies like yours. (BCIS, 2025)
  • UK construction loses an estimated £21 billion a year to avoidable error and rework, equivalent to 21% of project value. Yet trained organisations such as Kier, BAM Nuttall, VolkerStevin and Taylor Woodrow avoided nearly £100 million of project cost between them after the GIRI training intervention. (GIRI; New Civil Engineer, 2026)

There are a few professional bodies we will refer to in this course. One is The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), another is CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building), and one you're probably very familiar with: the NASC. These are leading professional bodies who set ethical, technical, and safety standards and guidance in the UK for construction and scaffolding.

Surveying & CostRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Focus on surveying, valuation and cost management. The business and commercial side of construction. Their standards define how costs, contracts and disputes are managed.

Construction ManagementCIOB
Chartered Institute of Building

Focus on construction management and quality. The operational side. Their standards cover project delivery, programme management and professional conduct on site.

ScaffoldingNASC
National Access & Scaffolding Confederation

Focus on scaffolding specifically. Covers safety, technical guidance and commercial best practice. Courts refer to NASC guidance (CG series) when determining standards of care.

So why are we talking about institutions for surveyors and building? Well because, this is the language of the main contractor. The courts rely on RICS, CIOB, and NASC guidelines to define standards of care, which are used within legal cases to determine who is right and who is wrong when things become legal.

RICS

Commercial management of construction covers the financial, contractual, and commercial side of a project across its lifecycle. Contract management sits at the centre of that, protecting your entitlements, managing commercial and legal risk, and making sure the commitments made in the contract are met from day one to final payment.

This is the trade language of Quantity Surveyors and commercial managers on projects. These are the guys that hold the keys to the safe. These days it rarely matters how good a relationship is at site level, unless you've got evidence of work performed, even the most friendly QS will struggle to justify payment. Everyone has a boss. And the project commercial team are unlikely to risk their jobs for your bad paperwork.

How is Contract Management Different from Project Management?

Project Manager

Runs the whole project, including planning, procurement, design coordination, and delivery across the full project lifecycle.

Contract Manager

Owns the contractual relationship with the client once work starts. That includes scope, payment, variations, extensions of time, delivery and completion.

To summarise: a project manager coordinates the team; a contract manager makes sure what was agreed actually gets delivered commercially and operationally. Project management is the bigger picture; contract management is a focused part of it, specifically the delivery of the scaffolding scope.

What "Contract Manager" Means in Scaffolding

Generally in the construction industry, a contract manager usually means a QS or someone with a construction law background, someone educated in contracts, managing disputes, claims, and legal interpretation of contract documents. Usually a member of RICS professional body.

You will deal with a QS (Quantity Surveyor) on most main contractor accounts. Their job is to scrutinise your valuations, challenge variations, and pay only what can be proved as due. Professional, well-documented submissions are significantly harder to dispute than verbal or loosely formatted claims.

In scaffolding, we use the term Contract Manager differently. You, as a contract manager, are the person running the job commercially and operationally. You are responsible for checking scope, managing programme, controlling costs, and communicating with the main contractor to make sure everything stays on track, on time, in budget, and to the standard agreed. In practice: understanding what's happening on-site, tracking costs and changes, managing kit and labour efficiently, submitting variations within the contractual specified time, and maintaining a working relationship with the main contractor. Hopefully one that will take you to many more projects.

What you will do as a contract manager
  • Check the subcontract scope against your quote
  • Track and manage variations and additional works
  • Keep records of every instruction and change
  • Submit payment applications with supporting documents
  • Track programme and progress on site
  • Report to and coordinate with the main contractor's site team
  • Support your commercial or accounts team on invoicing and payments
  • Keep records per NASC best practice
  • Make sure your team delivers to spec, on time, on budget

The Project Lifecycle

Every job runs through six stages. Each stage has its own set of decisions, its own paperwork, its own processes and risk.

1
Tender
They invite prices, you price.
2
Pre-Contract
Quote negotiated, pre-contract meeting, terms agreed.
3
Award
Contract signed (or, more often, work starts on a verbal nod and a PO).
4
Execution
Erect, hire, adapt, dismantle. Variations, instructions, daywork, applications.
5
Final Account
Measure, value, agree, release retention.
6
Defects
Defects period, snagging, second half of retention.
CIOB Code of Practice for Project Management, 5th edition

Frames the contractor's role at each stage. Modules 2 to 8 follow this same lifecycle. Module 2 is tender. Module 3 is reading the contract. Module 4 is documentation and design. Module 5 is programme. Module 6 is HSE and legal. Module 7 is project controls. Module 8 is risk, delays and payment rights.

Apply it: which stage does each action belong to?

The Project Hierarchy

Scaffolding or temporary works can vary from a small access scope to a critical-path activity. As scaffolders, we generally see a small part of what goes into delivering the project as a whole. We're not exposed to the management office activities, the administration of the project, who does what, and how what we do (or don't) affects the other work scopes. Scaffolding access is a small but critical function of the overall project.

Understanding where you sit, who you're talking to, and how you communicate with those individuals is key to managing a contract correctly, being professional and building relationships that get you a good reputation, make the job easier, help you to get paid, and carry you to the next project.

The Client (Employer)

Commissions the project, funds it, sits at the top. You rarely deal with them directly, but their decisions affect everything.

Also called the Client, employer, owner or end user can all refer to the same company. They set the project brief, hire the professional team, and enter the main contract with the main contractor. They are not referred to in the NASC contract, as that is a specific agreement between your company and your direct client (main contractor).

The Client's responsibilities:

  • Set the project brief, budget, and programme of works
  • Appoint the professional team: architect, engineer, QS, and PM
  • Negotiate and enter the main contract with the contractor
  • Under CDM 2015: appoint the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, and provide pre-construction information
  • Pay the main contractor as agreed in the main contract
Why this matters to you

When the client changes the brief, the main contractor adjusts the scope and/or the programme, and your scaffold delivery can change overnight. The decisions the employer makes can directly affect your scope, schedule, costs, and revenue.

Client / Employer
Funds and commissions the project
Professional Team
Architect  |  Engineer  |  QS  |  PM
Main Contract
Entered between Client and Main Contractor
Main Contractor
Delivers the project, coordinates all trades
All Trades & Subcontractors
Including scaffold, you sit here

The Consultant / Contract Administrator

Designs, supervises, and certifies the works. Called the CA under JCT, the PM under NEC, the Contract Manager under the CIP/NASC form. Whatever the title, their job is to issue instructions and certify payments.

This could be an architect, structural engineer, PM, or QS, often a combination. The CA has specific powers under the contract:

  • Design the works (or review contractor design in Design & Build)
  • Issue instructions for variations, clarifications, and provisional sums
  • Certify interim payments and the final certificate
  • Determine extensions of time and loss & expense claims
  • Monitor progress and quality on site
  • Issue practical completion and making-good certificates
Code of Conduct

Impartiality: The Contract Administrator is appointed by the employer, but RICS standards require them to act honestly and reasonably when certifying payments. They cannot simply side with the client. They have a duty of fairness. Their decisions can be challenged through dispute resolution.

The Main Contractor

Holds the main contract, delivers the works, and coordinates every trade on site. In most scaffolding projects, this is your direct client.

Your subcontract, your payment, your programme, and your variations will all be handled by the main contractor. Everything goes via them.

The MC's responsibilities:

  • Deliver the works on time, to spec, within budget
  • Coordinate all trades and subcontractors on site
  • Manage the construction programme and report progress to the CA
  • As Principal Contractor (CDM 2015): produce the construction phase plan, manage H&S, ensure workers are trained and competent
  • Provide access, welfare, and site logistics for subcontractors
  • Issue instructions and manage variations per the subcontract
  • Certify and pay subcontractors within the agreed timescales
Client (via Contract Administrator)
Issues instructions  |  Certifies payments
Main Contractor
Holds the main contract, your direct client
Scaffold Sub  |  M&E  |  Cladding  |  Other Trades
All subcontracted to the same main contractor

You: the scaffold subcontractor

Your subcontract is with the main contractor, not the client, not the consultant. Your payment, your programme, and your variations are all governed by that subcontract.

How the contracts formalise the hierarchy

Understanding the hierarchy is one thing. Knowing it's written into your contract is another. Each of the three standard forms contains a specific flow-down clause that makes you responsible for the tier above.

Topic JCT SBCSub/C 2016 NEC3 ECS NASC Scaffolding Contract 2018
Flow-down clause The Subcontractor shall observe, perform and comply with all provisions of the Main Contract (Clause 2.2) The Subcontractor provides the works in accordance with the Works Information and the Subcontract (Clause 27.1) The Scaffolding Contractor shall be deemed to know, observe, perform and comply with all the provisions of the Main Contract. The Contractor shall, if so requested, provide access to a copy of the Main Contract (Clause 4.1)
Discrepancy between contracts Subcontractor to notify immediately; Contractor's decision governs (Clause 2.12) Early Warning mechanism; Project Manager decides how to deal with it (Clause 16) Any discrepancy between the Main Contract and the Scaffolding Contract must be notified immediately by the Scaffolding Contractor. The Contractor shall issue directions (Clause 4.2)
Teaching point

On a NASC contract you are deemed to know the Main Contract even if no one has shown it to you. Clause 4.1 then gives you the right to request a copy. Use it. Before you sign, ask to see the Main Contract conditions. The MC must provide access. What you find in there may change everything about how you price or what risk you're taking on.

This is where the contract manager earns his pay. You are responsible for delivering your scaffolding scope to the agreed specification and protecting your commercial position throughout the contract, from contract award until the last fitting is off site and the final payment is cleared in the bank.

Responsibilities

  • Deliver the scaffold works to the subcontract spec and programme
  • Produce and maintain RAMS, legally compliant with best working practices and the site's construction phase plan
  • Provide CISRS-carded operatives and an appointed scaffold supervisor
  • Carry out scaffold inspections per the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (Reg. 12) and record them
  • Submit payment applications on time and in the right format
  • Issue written notices for variations, delays, and claims within contractual time limits
  • Keep records: daily diaries, photos, delivery tickets, inspection records, and correspondence
  • Coordinate with other trades on access, shared scaffold use, and programme sequencing
The record-keeping rule

If it is not written down, it did not happen. Every instruction, every change, every delay, record it. It's much easier to get paid with evidence of work and if things get bad and go legal, the courts and adjudicators give far more weight to records made at the time than to someone's memory six months later.

Other subcontractors

Mechanical & Engineering, cladding, steelwork, groundworks: all subcontracted to the same main contractor. You coordinate with them to provide access. You do not manage them. Their problems are not your problems. Two things to watch:

  • Coordination, not management. You coordinate on access, sequencing, and shared scaffold use, but you are not responsible for their work or programme.
  • Programme clashes. If another trade's delay hits your access or erection sequence, that is not your delay. Record it, notify the main contractor in writing, and claim an extension of time if needed.

The Three Main Standard Forms of Contract

The "Form of contract" is industry speak for a standard contract template. It's interchangeable with "contract", "agreement" or "subcontract" in everyday use. The word comes from JCT, where each version is published as a numbered Form (e.g. SBCSub form, Sub/Sub form). The trade has adopted the language across all the major contract bodies. So you may hear different people refer to contracts by any one of these terms. If at any point you're unclear, just ask. Don't be shy to clarify what the client is talking about. It could save a lot more embarrassment later.

Most scaffolding subcontractors sit under one of three main standard forms or a bespoke contract. Knowing which one tells you most of what you need to know about your rights.

During this course we cover three main standard contracts: JCT, NEC, and the NASC Scaffolding Contract 2018, and reference the scaffolding-specific contract published in partnership by the Contractors Legal Group and NASC. NEC and JCT (or modifications of them) are the most widely used. While the NASC scaffolding-specific contract is the lesser used, we'll highlight T&Cs from it in comparison to JCT and NEC. This should help with context and give an idea of things or wording in documents or contracts.

Industry fact
  • NEC is under-used in UK construction due to lack of confidence and training. Limited understanding of timeframes, compensation events and payment terms is widespread, particularly in SMEs. (CIOB Skills Gap Report, 2024)

Who is the JCT?

Joint Contracts Tribunal. Founded 1931. The body that publishes the most widely used family of UK construction contracts. Members include RIBA, RICS, CIOB and the major contractor associations. JCT contracts dominate building work, used on everything from a single house to a hospital. JCT in scaffolding: default for UK building. The common scaffolding subcontracts are SBCSub and Sub/Sub. The old DOM/1 and DOM/2 names still get used but they're obsolete.

Who is the NEC?

New Engineering Contract. First published 1993 by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Designed for active contract management with structured early-warning, programme and compensation-event mechanisms. Used widely on infrastructure, civil engineering and major government projects (HS2, Crossrail). Currently in its fourth edition (NEC4). NEC in scaffolding: different vocabulary, "Plant" means installed Mechanical & Electrical; your scaffolding kit is "Equipment". Variations and claims are "compensation events".

NASC CG15:20

Read and re-read the Z clauses MCs add. That's where the dangerous terms hide.

NASC Scaffolding Contract 2018

The scaffolding-specific contract for direct contracts between scaffolder and client. Includes the standard 32-item SoR as an appendix.

How the three forms handle the same commercial issues

The table below shows how JCT, NEC3, and the NASC Scaffolding Contract each address four topics you'll encounter on every job. Different language, same intent, but the detail changes your commercial position significantly.

Topic JCT SBCSub/C 2016 NEC3 ECS NASC 2018
Your obligations Carry out and complete the subcontract works in a proper and workmanlike manner and in accordance with the health and safety plan (Clause 2.1) Provide the works in accordance with the Works Information (Clause 27.1) Carry out and complete the Works with due diligence and in a good and workmanlike manner (Clause 2.2). Terms of the contract take precedence over your quotation (Clause 2.1)
Written instructions Contractor instructions must be in writing. If oral, the subcontractor may confirm within 7 days; if the Contractor does not dissent within 7 days, it is treated as confirmed (Clause 3.6) The Project Manager gives instructions. Instructions are communicated in a form that can be read, copied, and recorded (Clause 13.1) Instructions must be complied with. Oral instructions must be confirmed in writing by the Contractor within 2 working days (Clause 6.1)
Payment cycle Due date: date of application. Final date for payment: 17 days after due date. Pay Less Notice: no later than 5 days before final date (Clauses 4.8 to 4.9) Amount due assessed by Project Manager monthly. Payment made within payment period stated in Contract Data (typically 3 weeks from assessment) (Clauses 50 to 51) Application monthly. Final date for payment: 28 days from application. Pay Less Notice: no later than 7 days before final date. Interest at 8% above Bank of England base rate on late payment (Clauses 14.3 to 14.5)
Dispute resolution Adjudication at any time under the CIC Model Adjudication Procedure (Article 7) Adjudication under Option W2 per HGCRA 1996. Nominating body in Contract Data (Clause W2.1) Either party may refer to adjudication at any time. Nominating body: constructionadjudicators.com. Mediation available by agreement (Articles 3 to 4; Clauses 20.1 to 20.2)
Teaching point

All three comply with the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (HGCRA), they have to by law. What differs is the notice periods, the interest rates, and the starting point for the payment clock. On a NASC contract you have 28 days from application. On a JCT you have 17. Miss the clock on either and you've handed the Main Contractor a free loan.

Bespoke contracts

Highest-risk category. Written to favour the Main Contractor. Often hides unlimited liability, sweep-up rights (the right to raise contra-charges at final account that were never raised during the job), flow down terms, back to back and disguised pay-when-paid clauses.

Teaching point

Never assume a bespoke contract is similar to a standard form. Read every clause or get a QS or a construction law professional to review it. It could save you significant amounts of cash.

Who's Who

A typical job has 4 to 6 parties. Knowing who's who tells you who can claim from you and who you can claim from.

Roles in Your Business

In small firms single people may work within roles that span across different functions of the project lifecycle. This course is assuming you are or will be doing one or some of each and aims to give a good general grounding in contract management for those coming from the tools, who have not had a formal education in project or contract management.

  • Estimator, prices the tender, prepares the quote
  • Contracts Manager, runs the job, manages the programme, deals with the MC
  • QS, measures, values, applies for payment, handles variations and final account
  • Site Supervisor, runs the gangs, signs daywork, raises non-conformances
  • Operations / Yard Manager, controls equipment, books labour, sequences mobilisation

As a contract manager in the scaffolding industry, you may already be doing all of these functions at varying levels.

The Legal Floor

Three layers of law sit above every scaffolding contract. Nothing in the contract can drop below them.

HGCRA in your contract, where to find your statutory rights

Parliament created these rights. Your contract contains them because it legally must. Here's where they sit.

Topic JCT SBCSub/C 2016 NEC3 ECS NASC 2018
Right to stage payments Section 4, monthly interim payment cycle (Clause 4.8) Core Clause 5, monthly assessment cycle (Clause 50) Monthly applications from commencement (Clause 14.1)
Pay Less Notice regime Pay Less Notice: no later than 5 days before final date (Clause 4.9) Pay Less Notice within payment period (Clause 51.3) Pay Less Notice: no later than 7 days before final date for payment (Clause 14.4)
Right to suspend for non-payment Right to suspend after 7 days' written notice (Clause 4.14) Right to suspend after 4 weeks' notice (Clause 91.4) Right to suspend after 7 days' written notice of non-payment (Clause 15)
Right to adjudicate Any time, any dispute (Article 7) Option W2, any time, any dispute (Clause W2.1) Any time, either party (Article 3; Clause 20.2)

Note on the NASC payment clock: At 28 days from application, the NASC contract gives a longer payment window than JCT (17 days). This is HGCRA-compliant, the Act sets a minimum, not a maximum. In practice the 28-day window is closer to industry norm for scaffolding subcontracts. The important protection is the Pay Less Notice: if the Contractor intends to pay less than your application, they must say so 7 days before the final date, and the pay less notice must specify the sum they consider due and the basis of calculation. A Pay Less Notice without a stated basis is invalid.

Industry facts
  • 2,264 construction adjudication referrals were made in May 2023 to April 2024, the highest number ever recorded and a 9% year-on-year increase. (Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, King's College London, 2024)
  • 80% of TCC enforcement applications for adjudicators' decisions succeed. Less than 5% of adjudicated cases proceed to further litigation. (Pinsent Masons; King's College London, 2024)

Five Cases You'll See Again

Each shows up in later modules. This is your map to understanding why certain laws or guidance were created, the precedent. There's a references section in each module so you can look up and get more clarity on things discussed within the module.

Cavendish Square Holdings v Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67

Restated the LADs penalty test, out of all proportion to a legitimate interest.

S&T (UK) Ltd v Grove Developments [2018] EWCA Civ 2448

After a smash-and-grab, the payer can adjudicate true value, but pays first.

Bresco Electrical v Lonsdale [2020] UKSC 25

Insolvent companies can adjudicate. Insolvency is no bar.

Walter Lilly v Mackay [2012] EWHC 1773

Concurrent delay does not wipe out your right to an extension of time.

Tolent clauses (now void), LDEDC Act 2009 s.141

Killed pre-referral fee clauses.

Apply it: match each case to its topic

Critical Learning: Your First Rejected Payment Application

The contract management lessons of this module, put to work on a real on-site decision. One choice. Three outcomes.

Action Checklist

Before you leave this module
  • Read every contract you receive in full before signing, appendices included
  • Identify which standard form (or bespoke) governs the job
  • Know who owns each lifecycle stage in your business
  • Write down every instruction, variation and conversation at the time it happens

Downloads

Reference materials and templates for this module. Save them to your projects folder and use them on the next job.

Module 1 Summary Key takeaways and the contract chain on one page. Save or print.
Download PDF
Project Hierarchy Diagram of who sits where on a typical scaffolding project.
Download PDF
Project Start Checklist Pre-mobilisation checklist. Run through it before the first lift goes up.
Download PDF
Site Instruction Log Template for logging instructions, who from, when, and your response.
Download PDF
Record Keeping Discipline What to capture day to day so you can defend your position later.
Download PDF
Standard Forms at a Glance One-page reference covering JCT, NEC, NASC and bespoke contracts.
Download PDF

Module 1 Quiz

10 questions. Pass mark is 80% (8 out of 10 correct).

1Contract management on a scaffolding job is mainly about:

2How many stages does the project lifecycle have in this module?

3On a typical scaffolding project, who is your direct client?

4NEC3 contracts refer to your scaffolding kit as:

5Which standard form was written specifically for scaffolding subcontractors?

6The law requires a scaffolder to carry out the service with:

7The most powerful tool in any contractual dispute is:

8Pay-when-paid clauses are unenforceable in your subcontract, except where:

9The main contractor verbally tells you to make a design change on site. What should you do first?

10Your subcontract says nothing about adjudication. Can you still refer a payment dispute to adjudication?

Module 1
Complete.

You understand the foundations of contract management, the project hierarchy, the standard contract forms, the legal floor, and the key cases. Module 2 is where we start applying it: pricing and quotes.

Coming Next
  • Module 2: Pricing and Quotes
  • Module 3: Understanding Your Contracts
  • Module 4: Technical Documentation and Design
  • Module 5: Programmes and Logistics
Continue to Module 2

References

Harvard-style referencing applies throughout the course.

NASC Commercial Guidance

  • NASC (2019) CG12:19 Contract Clauses. London: National Access and Scaffolding Confederation.
  • NASC (2020) CG15:20 NEC3 Engineering and Construction Subcontract. London: National Access and Scaffolding Confederation.
  • NASC (2022) CG9:22 Payment Under the Construction Act. London: National Access and Scaffolding Confederation.
  • NASC (2022) CG11:22 Preparation of Schedule of Rates. London: National Access and Scaffolding Confederation.

Standard Forms of Contract

  • Construction Industry Publications Ltd (2018) Scaffolding Contract 2018: Form of Contract for the Erection, Hire and Dismantling of Scaffolding. Birmingham: Construction Industry Publications Ltd.
  • Joint Contracts Tribunal (2016) Standard Building Sub-Contract Conditions (SBCSub/C 2016). London: Sweet & Maxwell.
  • NEC (2013) NEC3 Engineering and Construction Subcontract (ECS). London: Institution of Civil Engineers.

RICS

  • RICS (2nd edn) New Rules of Measurement (NRM2): Detailed Measurement for Building Works. London: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
  • RICS (current edn) Definition of Prime Cost of Daywork carried out under a Building Contract. London: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

CIOB

  • Chartered Institute of Building (2022) Code of Practice for Project Management for the Built Environment. 5th edn. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Chartered Institute of Building (current edn) Code of Estimating Practice. 8th edn. Bracknell: CIOB.
  • Chartered Institute of Building (2024) Skills Gap Report. Bracknell: CIOB. Available at: ciob.org/media/3179/download.

Industry Reports and Research

  • Arcadis (2024) 14th Annual Construction Disputes Report. Available at: arcadis.com.
  • Arcadis (n.d.) UK Construction Disputes. Available at: arcadis.com/en/united-kingdom.
  • BCIS (2025) Construction firm insolvency figures. Available at: bcis.co.uk.
  • Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, King's College London (2024) Construction Adjudication in the United Kingdom: Tracing Trends and Guiding Reform - 2024 Update. London: King's College London. Available at: kcl.ac.uk.
  • Get It Right Initiative (n.d.) Literature Review: Financial and Economic Impact of Error. Available at: getitright.uk.com.
  • New Civil Engineer (2026) Kier, BAM Nuttall, VolkerStevin and Taylor Woodrow avoided nearly £100M of project costs after training scheme. Available at: newcivilengineer.com.
  • Pinsent Masons (n.d.) Enforcement of Adjudicators' Decisions. Available at: pinsentmasons.com.
  • World Commerce and Contracting (n.d.) Stopping the Leak: The Value of Contracts. Available at: worldcc.com.
  • World Commerce and Contracting (n.d.) Poor Contract Management Costs Companies 9% of their Bottom Line. Available at: worldcc.com.

Legislation

  • Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, c. 53. London: HMSO.
  • Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, c. 20, Part 8. London: TSO.
  • Sale of Goods Act 1979, c. 54. London: HMSO.
  • Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, c. 29. London: HMSO.
  • Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, c. 50. London: HMSO.
  • Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, c. 37. London: HMSO.
  • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, SI 2015/51. London: TSO.
  • Work at Height Regulations 2005, SI 2005/735. London: TSO.

Case Law

  • Cavendish Square Holdings BV v Talal El Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67.
  • S&T (UK) Ltd v Grove Developments Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 2448.
  • Bresco Electrical Services Ltd (in liquidation) v Michael J Lonsdale (Electrical) Ltd [2020] UKSC 25.
  • Walter Lilly & Co Ltd v Mackay [2012] EWHC 1773 (TCC).