They say that hindsight is 20/20.  Who is they, anyway?  The old proverb means that it is easy to understand something after it has already happened. In the world of construction contracts, preservation of claims made in hindsight does not always get you what you want.

In Appeal of Matcon Diamond, Inc., ASBCA No.

Our middle child of seven kids suffers from classic Middle Child Syndrome.  She has the largest heart in the family, and yet every other minute is a moment of devastation, wrought with feelings of neglect, resentfulness and sadness.  We love her and we have empathy, but—like government contractors who sometimes feel burned—there are no devastation

There’s “new.” And there’s “new to you.” And there’s “refurbished new.” And there’s “open box special new.” And there’s “floor display model new.”  But when it comes to contract specifications requiring “new” equipment, one court looked to a dictionary to define it as “never used before” and “free of significant damage.”

Dictionary

In a recent case,

Many construction cases that end up in court or arbitration do so because contractors are unable to prove each of the elements of its claim. Additionally, the value of many out-of-court settlements is also reduced because the contractor is unable to prove each of the elements of this claim. 

One of the more litigated issues