A decision support framework for extension of time claims for the JBCC Principal Building Agreement

Delays to contractors’ progress, often resulting in time and cost overruns, are a major source of claims and disputes in the construction industry. The assessment of extension of time (EOT) claims as part of a construction project can have far-reaching consequences for the financial success of the project. The proper and transparent assessment of EOT claims is, therefore, an essential component in the success of any project. In this article, an action-research approach, a very specific qualitative approach, was followed to develop a user-friendly guideline to help practitioners navigate this potential minefield of complexities in the process of the assessment of EOT claims. Focus groups, consisting of industry practitioners, with specialist knowledge in construction contracts, contributed to the development of the decision-support frameworks, and ultimately to the findings. The iterative process followed assisted in producing a tool that can be used in practice as a guideline for the analysis of EOT claims when using the Principal Building Agreement of the Joint Building Contracts Committee (JBCC).Die vertraging van die aannemer se vordering het dikwels ‘n negatiewe impak op tyd en koste en is ‘n groot bron van eise en geskille in die konstruksiebedryf. Die evaluering van eise vir die verlenging van tyd (VVT) kan tot verreikende nagevolge lei in verband met die finansiele sukses van ‘n projek. Die behoorlike en deursigtige evaluering van VVT-eise is dus ‘n noodsaaklike komponent in die sukses van enige projek. ‘n Aksie-navorsing benadering, ‘n baie spesifieke kwalitatiewe benadering, word gevolg in die artikel om ‘n gebruiker-vriendelike riglyn te ontwikkel om praktisyns te help om hierdie potensiele mynveld van kompleksiteit te navigeer in die proses van die evaluering van VVT-eise. Fokusgroepe, bestaande uit industriepraktisyns wat oor spesialiskennis in konstruksiekontrakte beskik, het bygedra tot die ontwikkeling van die besluit-ondersteuningsraamwerke en die bevindings. Die iteratiewe proses wat gevolg is het bygedra tot die ontwikkeling van ‘n instrument wat in die praktyk gebruik kan word om VVT-eise te ontleed wanneer gebruik gemaak word van die Hoofbouooreenkoms van die Gesamentlike Boukontraktekomitee (GBK).