Your records are useless if nobody can find them

27 Jun 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:02

In this concise presentation, the founder of Sima (now part of the Think Project Group) – a veteran NEC Contracts tutor since 2007 and contributor to the drafting of NEC4 – outlines why robust record‑keeping is the linchpin of successful NEC4 projects. He argues that three inter‑related elements are essential: a healthy culture that avoids fact‑based arguments and preserves trust, deep site knowledge that fuels better decisions, and disciplined processes that prevent gaps and errors. Records are described as the "oxygen" of NEC4, enabling transparency, accountability, and data‑driven insights for future projects. With modern digital tools, maintaining simple yet powerful records becomes feasible, and the speaker cites Sima’s adoption by over 50,000 practitioners as evidence of its practical impact. Investing in strong records, he concludes, makes the rest of NEC4 processes far simpler and leads to healthier projects.

Chapters

NEC4 is demanding, and rightly so. Do it properly and you positively influence project outcomes. But modern contracts demand transparency and accountability. The timescales are tight and there's a lot to do. That's why 20 years ago I founded Sima, now part of the Think Project Group and used by over 50,000 practitioners. I've worked for NEC Contracts since 2007 as a tutor and helped draft NEC4. During this time, I've come to believe 3 things are essential to successful NEC contracting: culture, knowledge, and discipline. A healthy culture avoids arguing facts, unnecessarily eroding precious trust capital on things we can simply record. Knowledge of what's happening on site fuels better decision-making. Records are the oxygen to NEC4 processes. Establishing a discipline avoids gaps, inconsistency, and error. With the right tools, this can be kept simple and made easy. Today's data gives us insights we can use for tomorrow's projects. I believe that if we invest in robust records, the rest of NEC become so much simpler. Healthy records lead to healthy projects.