The JCT Management Building Contract is designed for construction projects where the employer appoints a management contractor to oversee the works. Construction is completed under a series of separate works contracts, which the management contractor appoints and manages for a fee.

When unforeseen events impact on the delivery of a project, both employer and contractor will look to the contract to understand the consequences in terms of time and money.

Although force majeure (which literally means ‘superior force’) is a concept known to the English construction industry and which features in the JCT suite of contracts, its origins actually lie in the French civil code and it is not a principle of English common law.

The Joint Contracts Tribunal, also known as the JCT, produces standard forms of contract for construction, guidance notes and other standard documentation for use in the construction industry. From its establishment in 1931, JCT has expanded the number of contributing organisations. Following recommendations in the 1994 Latham Report, the current operational structure comprises 8 members who approve and authorise publications. They are the Association of Consulting Engineers, the British Property Federation, the Construction Confederation, the Local Government Association, the National Specialist Contractors Council, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Scottish Building Contract Committee.

This guide will outline the forms of JCT contract, the most common standard form construction contract used in the UK, accounting for about 70% of UK projects.