The JBCC Principal Building Agreement is the contract most South African building projects run on. Its notice periods are short and its time-bars are strict: a claim for a revision of the date for practical completion that is notified late is forfeited. Sakhani carries every JBCC notice event with its clause, period and trigger, and applies the amendments in your signed contract data.
Standard conditions, unamended. The notice of intention to claim (clause 23) goes to the Principal Agent. Your signed contract may shorten these periods; upload it and the AI applies the amendments.
| Event | Clause | Notify within | Counted from | Entitlement | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site access denied / late possession You could not get onto part of the site when the contract or programme said you could. | 12 (site possession) and 23.4.2 read with 23.5 Late or failed possession of the site or part of it; notice of intention to claim | 20 working days | becoming aware | Time and cost | Forfeit the right to a revision of the practical completion date and to any cost (23.5). |
| Instruction / variation that adds work The PM, PA or Engineer instructed something that changes the scope, sequence or quality of the works. | 17 and 23.4.2 read with 23.5 Contract instruction causing delay; notice of intention to claim | 20 working days | becoming aware | Time and cost (expense and loss, clause 26) | Forfeit the right to a revision of the practical completion date and to expense and loss (23.5). |
| Late drawings / information Drawings, details or an answer you asked for were not issued by the date promised or shown on the programme. | 23.4.2 read with 23.5 Late or incomplete issue of construction information; notice of intention to claim | 20 working days | becoming aware | Time and cost | Forfeit the right to a revision of the practical completion date and to any cost (23.5). |
| Non-payment of a certificate A payment certificate or invoice has passed its due date and has not been paid. | 25 (payment) read with 28 (suspension) / 29 (termination by contractor) Employer fails to pay a payment certificate by the due date | 5 working daysrecommended, not fixed by the contract | the event | Interest (25) and the right to suspend after notice | No contractual time-bar on the notice itself, but no suspension or termination right arises until a formal notice of default has run its course. Interest runs regardless. |
| Other event giving a claim Something else the contract makes the employer's risk: unforeseen ground, a delayed approval, a change in law, a prevention event. Claude matches it to the contract's own list. | 23.4.2 read with 23.5 Any other circumstance listed in 23.1 or 23.2: notice of the intention to claim a revision of the date for practical completion | 20 working days | becoming aware | Time and/or money as the ground allows | The claim lapses: no revision of the date and no adjustment of the contract value for that circumstance. |
| RFI with no reply A request for information passed its reply period with no answer. | 23.4.2 read with 23.5 (treated as late information) Information requested in an RFI not issued within a reasonable period | 20 working days | becoming aware | Time and cost | Forfeit the right to a revision of the practical completion date and to any cost (23.5). |
| Adverse weather Rain, wind or heat stopped or slowed work. Record the days and, if you can, the rainfall in mm. | 23.1.1 read with 23.4.2 Adverse weather conditions (delay for which the employer is not responsible); notice of intention to claim | 20 working days | becoming aware | Time only (no cost) | Forfeit the right to a revision of the practical completion date (23.5). |
Verified against the published conditions by the Sakhani legal panel where marked in the app. This page is a guide, not legal advice; the signed contract governs.
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