Joint Contract Tribunal – expert guide

The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) produces standard forms of contracts, guidance notes and other standard documentation for use in the construction industry.

The JCT was established in 1931 and in 1998 it became incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. JCT claims that more than two thirds of projects in the UK use its forms of contract.

The JCT is responsible for producing suites of contract documents and in operating the JCT Council. The JCT Council is made up of the following industry organisations:

• Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)
• British Property Federation (BPF)
• Construction Confederation (CC)
• Local Government Association (LGA)
• National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC)
• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
• The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
• Scottish Building Contract Committee

The JCT Council is made up of 47 representatives allocated as follows:

• 18 seats for BPF/LGA – representing employers, clients and local authorities
• 9 seats for ACE/RIBA/RICS – representing consultants
• 9 seats for CC – representing contractors
• 9 seats for NSCC – representing specialists and subcontractors
• 2 seats for SBCC - Scottish building industry

All new contract forms and amendments require the agreement of all eight bodies before they can be issued as JCT Forms.

For information on the 2005 suite of contracts (JCT 2005)

JCT Suite of Contracts 2005:

• Minor Works Building Contract
• Intermediate Building Contract
• Standard Building Contract
• Design and Build Contract
• Major Project Construction Contract
• JCT - Constructing Excellence Contract
• Construction Management
• Management Building Contract
• Housing Grant Works Building Contract
• Measured Term Contract
• Prime Cost Building Contract
• Repair and Maintenance Contract
• Generic Contracts
• Framework Agreement
• Adjudication Agreement
• Collateral Warranties
• Home Owner Contracts

For information on the suite of contacts for home owners go to JCT Home Owner Contracts:

• HO/C Building contract and consultancy agreement for a home owner/occupier
• HO/B Building contract for a home owner/occupier who has not appointed a consultant to oversee the work
• HO/RM Home Repair and Maintenance Contract
• HO/Adj Rules for Adjudication and explanatory notes

Latest news stories

• The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) has completed Revision 1 to its JCT05 suite, which covers changes made to the Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations.
• Search for other recent articles on Contract Journal about JCT

Other external links

• Wikipedia entry
• The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) has published a new edition of its standard form of contract for framework agreements.
• The Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) calls for leadership on sustainability