Construction subcontract reviews for UK subcontractors

What does a subcontract review cover?

A subcontract can spread obligations across an order, conditions, amendments, scope, programme and documents incorporated by reference. Reviewing the pack together helps identify conflicts and obligations that are easy to miss when reading the order alone.

• Payment and cash flow: application requirements, payment procedures, retention and deductions.
• Programme and delay: completion obligations, notice requirements, time bars and delay exposure.
• Variations: instruction procedures, notification requirements and valuation provisions.
• Design and liability: design obligations, insurance requirements, indemnities and liability provisions.
• Scope and incorporated documents: responsibilities, qualifications, missing information and obligations passed down from other documents.
• Termination and close-out: commercial consequences and requirements the project team needs to understand.

What will I receive?

Your written Contract Risk Review includes an executive summary, an overall red/amber/green assessment, the top five actions before signing, key commercial data and a priority risk register. It explains the consequences of relevant amendments and sets out preferred negotiating positions and fallbacks.

A project-team checklist and Contract Administration Cheat Sheet help turn the review into practical controls after award. The purpose is to focus attention on material commercial risks; it is not a promise that every clause can be changed.

How much does a subcontract review cost?

Contract Review: £395 + VAT. This package provides the written review. Telephone consultations, correspondence drafting and post-review negotiation assistance are excluded from that package.

Contract Review + Negotiation: £795 + VAT. This package includes the same review and up to three hours of post-review commercial support. This can include calls or Teams discussions, reviewing the main contractor’s response and drafting or reviewing correspondence. Additional support is charged at £150 + VAT per hour and requires your prior approval.

See the current packages and fees, or read about negotiation support.

What documents are needed for a subcontract review?

For your initial enquiry, tell us your company name, the subcontract form and edition if known, your deadline and the support you need. You do not need to send the full contract pack at this stage.

Once the scope and document-transfer method are agreed, have the following available where applicable:

• The proposed subcontract order and conditions, including the relevant standard form.
• Subcontract particulars, contract data, schedules of amendments and additional conditions.
• The scope of works, specifications and drawings referred to in the subcontract.
• The programme, key dates, pricing documents and payment schedule.
• Any main-contract provisions or other documents incorporated by reference.
• Your tender qualifications, clarifications and correspondence recording agreed changes.

If a document has not been supplied, tell us what is missing. Please contact us before sending confidential or large files so that we can agree a suitable transfer method.

How long does a subcontract review take?

Turnaround is agreed before work starts, based on the size and complexity of the pack and your deadline. Tell us when you need to sign so that we can confirm whether we can meet your timescale.

How to request a review

Start with your company name, the type of subcontract and the date you need a decision. You can make an initial enquiry before sending the full contract pack. Once the scope and package are agreed, SubProtect confirms the instruction and issues its Order Confirmation & Terms of Engagement.

The review starts after an authorised client signs and returns the terms. Turnaround is agreed before work starts, taking account of the pack’s size and complexity.

Do you review JCT, NEC and bespoke subcontracts?

Yes. SubProtect reviews all forms of construction subcontract: JCT, NEC and other standard forms, including amendments, as well as bespoke orders and contractor-drafted conditions. The review considers the form, edition and documents supplied for your project. See the JCT subcontract review service for the issues an amended JCT pack may raise.

SubProtect provides commercial and contractual risk assessment from a construction perspective. It is not a firm of solicitors or a regulated legal practice. Specialist legal advice may be needed alongside the commercial review.