NEC is too much paperwork? Wrong.

11 May 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:04

In this segment, William Doyle MRICS argues that while NEC contracts require slightly more administrative effort during a project, this level of paperwork is appropriate and beneficial. The contemporaneous, proactive management approach of NEC reduces end‑of‑project uncertainty, prevents last‑minute panic over delays and disruption claims, and avoids the prolonged claim processes typical of traditional contracts. By continuously estimating and updating information while the project team and data are still fresh, NEC preserves knowledge that would otherwise fade as personnel move on, leading to more satisfactory project outcomes.

Chapters

So NEC contracts, yeah, there's a little bit more admin to do as you go. Is it more though? It's probably the right amount, isn't it? It's good practice project management. The payoff is that at the end of the project, you shouldn't have so much uncertainty and, you know, there shouldn't be that last minute panic and realization, oh no, we're going long. We've got a big delay and disruption claim to wrap up. And when you think about traditional forms of contract, that can quite often go on for years. And meanwhile, the people who have built the project have gone on to other projects. So, you know, facts start to fade, knowledge starts to fade, whereas NEC favors that contemporaneous approach prospectively using the people and the information as it's still fresh. And I think whilst that means a little bit of estimating, we estimated the whole project at the beginning We're just— we're now needing to estimate little bits as we go. I think that's a more satisfactory approach, is going to get us a better project outcome.