Programme Best Practice

Time Risk Allowance vs terminal float in NEC is a distinction contractors need to keep clear. The two are related, but they are not the same thing, and confusing them can weaken programme acceptance, distort update logic and blur compensation event assessments. One of the easiest ways to weaken an NEC programme is to blur the line between Time Risk Allowance and terminal float. They are related, but they are not the same thing. NEC guidance requires the programme to show flo

Clause 15 only works when early warnings trigger decisions and programme movement. Here’s a quantified register method and weekly rhythm you can run on real jobs.

For contractors, pre-construction planning is not “getting ready to start”. It is building a credible, auditable delivery plan and the control system you will use to manage progress and change.

Excel is great for registers and dashboards, but risky as the master NEC programme. Here are 7 pitfalls that undermine cause and effect, plus fixes using a lean logic linked schedule.

Construction planning in 2026: how to win and deliver projects successfully Introduction: planning in an age of chronic delay Despite decades of progress in tools and standards, global construction still struggles to deliver projects on time and on budget. Recent systematic reviews show that delays remain endemic across building, infrastructure and industrial projects, with recurring root causes such as design changes, weak planning, poor site management, resource shortages a

Practical Differences for Contractors on Programme, Reporting and Compensation Events For contractors delivering engineering and construction projects in the UK and internationally, the choice between NEC and FIDIC isn’t just a legal technicality – it changes how you plan, report and secure entitlement to time and money. Programme requirements, reporting expectations and the way changes are valued all work differently under each form. If you treat them the same, you increase

Why Cashflow Now Lives Inside the Programme Cashflow remains one of the defining determinants of contractor survival. Multiple studies identify poor cashflow forecasting and weak financial planning as major contributors to contractor insolvency—even on technically successful projects (Ejaz & Nawaz, 2020). As construction projects become more complex and financially constrained, researchers emphasise the need for integrating real project data into cashflow modelling rather tha

Time Risk Allowances are not padding. Under NEC, they are part of realistic planning. Clause 31.2 requires the contractor’s programme to show float and time risk allowances, and the NEC guidance is clear that where reasonable TRA is missing, unclear or not shown properly, the Project Manager has grounds not to accept the programme because it does not represent the contractor’s plans realistically or does not show the information the contract requires. That sounds technical, b

A practical guide to NEC4 delivery for subcontractors: build accepted programmes, run early warnings properly, manage compensation events to timescales, and keep evidence audit-ready.

A consultant-grade guide to acceptance-ready NEC programmes for M&E: practical sequencing, procurement, commissioning, updates, and CE time impact evidence.