COVID-19 and UK Construction Contracts: Force Majeure or Not?

The construction industry is coming to terms with the way that COVID-19 is dictating new ways of working, delaying many projects. Many surveyors, though, are having to deal with the contractual implications – the RICS reports. Some contracts can excuse failures and potential breaches of contract that arise as a result of force majeure. Surveyors therefore need to know how and when force majeure may apply, and may be asked to make decisions about whether, for example, a contractor is entitled to extend the date for completion.

Significantly, force majeure only applies if there is a force majeure clause in the contract – it is not a general legal principle of universal application. Many JCT contracts contain a force majeure provision, whereas NEC contracts contain the equivalent of a force majeure regime.

Is COVID-19 a Force Majeure Event?

There is no simple legal definition of what constitutes force majeure as this always depends on the wording of the contract. Both the wording of the force majeure clause and the contract as a whole need to be looked at to decide the legal effect – if any – of COVID-19.

一些建筑合同包含可能不可抗力事件的列表，例如流行病或政府行为，这些事件可能不会超出当事方的控制之外。只有在不可抗力的“阻碍”或“阻止”执行作品的条款与另一个指称性能“不可能”的对待时，这一条款将被不同 - 后者更难证明。

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