Sub Contracts

We regularly advise Main Contractors and Sub-Contractors in drafting and negotiating Sub-Contracts.

Each of the main standard form contracts include a sub-contractor agreement, enabling parties to avoid having to draft from scratch. However, as always, these standard form contracts ought to be amended to reflect the bargain between the parties in the context of the project. Unamended standard form contracts, by their nature, often favour one party over the other, another reason to ensure that suitable amendments are agreed to rebalance the position.

For example, Main Contractors ought to consider issues such as having sufficient time to provide notice to an Employer of an event, such as Delay, so that the Main Contractor has time to comply with the main construction contract provisions once notified of the event by the Sub-Contractor. The same principles applies to the Sub-Contractor exercising of rights under the Sub-Contract, enabling the Main Contractor sufficient time to exercise the mirroring provisions in the main construction contract. 

For the Sub-Contractor, a key issue will be ensuring that there is a fair distribution of risk and liability – that the Main Contractor is not passing all the risk down the. We often advise Sub-Contractors who have signed a Sub-Contract without understanding the consequences in respect of risk, payment and other important provisions. Even if a contract is difficult to negotiate, understanding what you are signing up to enables Sub-Contractors to price effectively.

Our experienced team advises both Main Contractors and Sub-Contractors on their sub-contracting arrangements. Get in touch if you have any questions regarding your specific situation.

Get in touch

Get in touch using the contact form below, calling us on 0204 579 8686 or emailing us at contactus@ridgemont.co. 

Why Ridgemont?

Ridgemont’s team is made up of expert senior solicitors, all of whom previously worked in “Big Law” (i.e. the top 50 law firms in the UK).

We provide bespoke advice tailored to your needs.  Our advice is commercial and pragmatic, enabling you to use it effectively to make business decisions.

We have an expert understanding of construction law. We can guide you through the maze of sub contracts.

We are user-friendly.  Our lawyers speak in plain English, providing service levels akin to “Big Law”. We have built our processes to make onboarding as pain-free as possible. Our fee earner structure means that you have access to a partner-level solicitor at all times and they will always be on top of your matter.

We operate our business in an ethical way.  That means we think about what the “right thing to do” is when making a business decision.  As an example, we do not charge a default unit of time for incoming emails or letters as we think we ought to be paid for work done, not for merely receiving correspondence. We are also open and transparent on what we charge, meaning our clients never receive a surprising invoice.

We provide “Big Law” service levels and quality of advice, with expert senior solicitors providing commercial, pragmatic advice. Necessarily, that does not come cheap as we have to invest in great lawyers and everything they need to do their job. However, due to us having comparatively lower overheads to “Big Law” firms, we are able to charge less than they would for providing the same service levels and advice.

We are proactive in finding innovative ways to advise our clients in a cost proportionate way.

Who we act for?

We act for developers, contractors, sub-contractors, professionals and investors across a range of sectors from residential to retail.

Your journey with us

1. Get in touch using the contact form below, calling us on 0203 909 9590 or emailing us at contactus@ridgemont.co
2. We guarantee that we will be in touch with you the same day to listen to your needs and to explain how we can help and the likely cost.
3. Assuming you wish to engage us, we will then onboard you as a client, which normally takes a matter of hours.
4. From there, you will be assigned an experienced solicitor who will have conduct of your matter from cradle to grave and be available to speak to you and responsive to emails at every juncture.

You can learn more about our journey by watching these videos.