Construction Claims vs. The Perfect Claim E-Courses: What's the Difference?
Students often get in touch and ask:
What's the difference between The Perfect Claim and Construction Claims e-courses?
Both courses deal with the fundamentals of claims management, so what sets them apart?
The Perfect Claim
The Perfect Claim focuses on a specific case study. We take students through a claim for an extension of time and the payment of costs on a project where there were unforeseeable ground conditions.
Using the case study, we work to build the claim from A-Z.
During the course, we cover:
- the case study, potential claims and notices
- preparing the claim and delay analysis
- cost calculations
- compilation of and preliminaries to the claim
- cause and effect
- additional payment
- entitlement
- finalising the claim
Basically, everything you need to know to prepare a claim to a professional standard and ensure its success.
Construction Claims
The Construction Claims courses are more generic. They are suitable for both contractors and consultants because they deal with things from ‘both sides of the fence’.
The courses cover:
- contract administration for claims
- how to identify potential claims
- claim strategy and management
- cause and effect
- an overview of delay analysis
- entitlement
- responses and determinations
- writing compilation of claims and determinations
Graduates will be able to manage, prepare and respond to claims at a professional standard.
Which Course To Take?
Both courses will give you a full understanding of claims and how to manage them.
For engineers responsible for assessing claims and issuing responses, I tend to recommend the construction claims courses as the later modules deal with these aspects of claim management.
If you're not an engineer, I would choose the course that appeals to you the most. Check the module descriptions for each course. See which course you like the sound of and go with it. If you’re excited by the content, you’re much more likely to stick with your studies and graduate.
Sign up during Ramadan and be part of our Ramadan campaign: save 20% on all intermediate and premium e-courses and we'll donate 5% of every purchase to the UN Refugee Agency to support those affected by the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Check out our Construction Claims and The Perfect Claim E-Courses today.
Notices: Should a Contractor submit if he is not sure whether he intends to make a claim?
A Claims Class blog follower recently asked for advice on the correct interpretation of FIDIC Sub-Clause 20.1 (Contractor’s Claims). What happens in situations where the Contractor is not sure if it will submit a claim or not - should they submit a notice of claim?
Often the Contractor becomes aware of an event that may cause delay, additional Cost or entitlement for additional payment. At that time, he may not be aware of the final effect of the event.
Read more
5 Tips for Success When Claiming for Variations
A question that I am often asked during CPD talks and claims training courses is “is it necessary to submit claims for a variation?”. Unfortunately, I am going to have to give a lawyer’s answer to this and say that “it depends”. There are however essential elements to a successful claim.
If the party responsible for administering the contract follows the procedure set out in most forms of contracts for instructing variations, then the answer is “no”, because the variation has been acknowledged and it will either be measured and evaluated as part of the remeasurement on a remeasureable contract or as a separate evaluation leading to a change of the contract price of a lump sum contract.Read more
Time at Large - An Explanation
A blog reader asked for an explanation of “time at large”. This is not something that I have personally come across in practical terms. For the advice that I am about to give, I am indebted to my ex-boss, Roger Knowles. Roger provides an explanation in his book, 150 Contractual Problems and their Solutions. Roger explains it arises:
"when a contract is entered into with no period of time fixed for completion. Where this occurs, the contractor’s obligation is to compete within a reasonable time."
I have never experienced such a situation and I expect that when it does occur, it will be on Read more
How To Ensure Engineer’s Responses And Instructions Do Not Result In Expensive Claims
A request came from one of our blog followers. It was to examine the Engineer’s duty to provide instructions and responses within a reasonable time. In my experience, failure of the Engineer to comply with such obligations often gives rise to claims. Delayed issue of drawings or instructions are a regular feature of projects around the world.
I shall use the 1999 FIDIC Red Book as an example, although other forms of contract also contain similar provisions.
Contractors! Are Your Claims Responded to Correctly?
EC Harris’ (now Arcadis) Global Construction Dispute Report has, for many years, cited inadequately expressed claims as being one of the top five causes of disputes in the construction industry.
Trying Your Luck - Where do you draw the line with your claim submissions?
I was recently asked a question by one of our distance learning students which, at some time or another, you may have asked yourself. The question was:Read more
A Simple and Effective Way to Improve Claims: Visuals in Narratives
One of our distance learning students recently raised a point that graphics and other visuals can be effectively used in narratives to enhance a claim document. I agree with him, provided that you follow some basic rules. In this blog we look at visuals in narratives and how they could improve your claim.Read more
Top 10 Secrets of Successful Subcontract Commercial & Claims Management
It is no secret at all that subcontracting is one of the highest risk sectors within our industry. Subcontractors suffer more than most from the mistakes and misdemeanours of others. If the project is poorly funded then the Main Contractor’s first course of action is to reduce outgoings. The easiest way to do this is to delay or limit payments to Subcontractors.Read more
Inadequately Expressed Claims: the second most frequent reason for disputes
ARCADIS have recently published their Global Construction Dispute Report 2018 and unsurprisingly “Poorly drafted or incomplete/unsubstantiated claims” is reported as the second most frequent reason for disputes. This annual report has consistently ranked the same reason highly for several years, so it seems that the industry is not learning the fact that the onus is on the claimant to properly prove his case and that failure to do so will be costly and time-consuming.Read more