Sometimes you “do” bad things. Sometimes you “look like” you do bad things. Just look at the difference between Bad-boy Jack and my youngest daughter, Haven, who just “looks like” she’s up to no good. In the world of construction contracting, both can get in you in trouble, including a termination for default of performance.
Contracting Officer’s Belief That Contractor Could Not Meet Schedule Requirements Insufficient to Support Default Termination
There is objective evidence. There is subjective evidence. And sometimes, it is a combination of both A case cannot go much worse when a court’s opinion starts with the following: “This case concerns a contract in which a number of disputes, poor practices, and conflicting personalities created a climate of dishonesty, distrust, and lack of
In Construction, There’s A Tattletale And There’s What is Right
Sometimes, we avoid doing bad things because of the risk of getting caught. Other times, we avoid doing bad things because we simply choose to do right things. Whatever the camp you fall into, a recent government contracts case tells a story that should be avoided when submitting payment applications to the government.
In U.S.
Spearin Doctrine: A Construction Case Described in A Tweet!
I read in my Twitter feed this morning about a recent case where the Missouri Court of Appeals formally adopted the Spearin Doctrine.
I immediately wondered if I could explain the Spearin Doctrine in less than 140 characters. Here you go:
US v. Spearin: Owner designs. Contractor builds. Owner accepts. Work sucks. Owner sues. Contractor
Did the FAR Lose Its Mojo in the Government Contracts World? Depends.
It’s not everyday that you read about one of your longtime heroes, the Federal Acquisition Regulations (“FAR”), losing some of its mojo. The Nash & Cibinic Report read as follows: “The FAR: Does It Have Contractual Force and Effect?”
According to the article, there remains some confusion about the application of the FAR based upon
How Construction May Be Affected by President Trump’s Executive Orders on Immigration
With all the talk about billions of dollars of investment in infrastructure and sweeping reversal of prior executive orders affecting construction labor and federal contracts, it should come as no surprise that President Trump’s recent executive orders on immigration may have an affect on the construction industry.
What Happened? Beginning on January 25, 2017, the
Texas Court Gobble-Gobbles New Federal Overtime Rules
On this Thanksgiving Eve, contractors and other employers can take a breathe and gobble down some extra turkey and pumpkin pie without worrying about the new increases in overtime rules.
On Tuesday, November 22, 2016, a Texas federal court entered a nationwide injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) new federal overtime rules from
What A Trump Card Means In The Game of Construction and Development
Like many of you, I stayed up late on Tuesday night / Wednesday morning to watch the 2016 election returns. I dragged myself into the office after only a few hours of sleep and my phone was immediately ringing. Some clients. Some association contacts. Some reporters. They all wanted to talk about the same thing:
What I Learned from My Kids About Delay Claims
This past week, I came home to a complete mess in our backyard—it was littered with debris, trash, plates and utensils, and overturn patio furniture. My instruction to the kids yesterday morning was stern: “Clean up this mess by the time I get home…or else!”
One kid fixed the furniture in 15 minutes. One kid
How To Track Increased Construction Costs For Proving Claims
I previously blogged about the importance of using daily reports to prove construction claims.
In addition to daily reports, the following records should be prepared and maintained in the normal course of business to help prove claims and effectively manage the project:
- Correspondence file containing all correspondence relating to a specific claim, including letters