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Programme Best Practice
NEC requirements, programme creation and maintenance, the value of planning.


Time Risk Allowance vs Terminal Float in NEC: Why Contractors Need to Keep the Difference Clear
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
Mar 126 min read


NEC Clause 15 Early Warnings: A Quantified Register That Reduces Delay
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.
Mar 96 min read


Pre-Construction Planning for Contractors: The Practical Programme and Project Controls Guide (Civils, Mechanical and Electrical)
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.
Jan 225 min read


7 Common Pitfalls When Contractors Use Excel Programmes on NEC Jobs
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.
Jan 144 min read


Construction planning in 2026: how to win and deliver projects successfully
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
Dec 26, 202510 min read


NEC vs FIDIC
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
Dec 5, 20256 min read


Unlocking Cashflow Through NEC4 Construction Schedules
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
Nov 29, 20256 min read


5 Time Risk Allowance Mistakes That Undermine NEC Programme Acceptance
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
Aug 28, 20256 min read


NEC4 delivery for subcontractors: how specialist contractors excel on live projects
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.
Jul 20, 20254 min read


7 Common NEC Programme Traps for M&E Contractors
A consultant-grade guide to acceptance-ready NEC programmes for M&E: practical sequencing, procurement, commissioning, updates, and CE time impact evidence.
Jun 9, 20256 min read
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