Often when I’m called upon to undertake an expert assessment of delay claims, the reason that the claims have not been resolved is because the principal and the contractor have not been able to agree on the contract baseline programme. In these situations, it is often necessary to conduct a programme review.

Most construction contracts contain provisions for the management and assessment of delay claims, and many of these contracts require delay claims to be assessed against an agreed contract baseline programme or schedule.

From time to time, the parties to the contract can not agree on the contract baseline programme, which then presents challenges when assessing delay claims.

One way to overcome this issue is to undertake a formal programme review. This review should highlight issues with the programme and give comfort to those who are relying on the programme that it is a reasonable representation of the work and how it will be delivered.

When undertaking a formal programme review the following questions should be asked:

1. Does the programme reflect the scope of work?
2. Is the work methodology reasonable?
3. Has the programme been constructed in a way that meets good scheduling practices?
4. What are the risks that are inherent in the programme?

If nothing else, a formal programme review means that the parties to the contract at least review the programme and begin to understand what it means. It provides the opportunity to correct any issues with the programme and it is also a part of good project governance.

At Core Project Advisory we have a team that is experienced in undertaking formal programme reviews. We have found the best time to start this process is when you are shortlisting bidders for the works and prior to agreement on the contract baseline programme. If you need any assistance, please contact us.