Barrett lodges £1m claim against Amec

A subcontractor has lodged a claim of nearly £1m against Amec Capital Projects for loss and damage, after it claimed the main contractor continually disrupted and delayed its works.
 
Barrett Ceilings was originally subcontracted by Amec to design, manufacture and install cedar rain screen cladding to two new residential blocks at the University of Cambridge on 10 March 2004, having started on site on 1 September 2003. But it did not fully complete the works until 13 September 2004.
 
In a writ filed in the Technology and Construction Court, Barrett claimed that its own work was beset by delays for which it bore no responsibility.
 
And the subcontractor contended that Amec had acted in breach of contract because it failed to pay the sums due to it in relation to the delays and disruption. It also claimed Amec had made variations for which it had not been properly compensated

 
According to Barrett, some of the delays included: 

• Late installation of window flashings and windows;
• Amec’s failure to identify a need for window support studs;
• Amec’s refusal to adapt standing scaffolding so that the scaffolding lifts were in the correct position to allow Barrett to do its work;
• Amec removed the standing scaffolding before Barrett had been able to complete its work;
• Amec suspended Barrett’s work to while another subcontractor installed window head pressings;
• Barrett was forced to wait to do work around window cills because Amec had failed even to order the cills be the time Barrett was ready to do the job;
• Barrett’s full claim totalled £892,399.80 for additional preliminaries, additional labour costs, additional transport costs, loss of overhead and profit. 

The subcontractor has so far received £60,000 from Amec in relation to acceleration costs it incurred on the main contractor’s instruction.