New Engineering Contract
NEC was first published in 1993 as the New Engineering Contract. It is a suite of construction contracts intended to promote partnering and collaboration between the contractor and client. It was developed as a reaction to other more traditional forms of construction contract which have been portrayed by some as adversarial.
The intentions of NEC contracts include:
- Stimulating good management.
- Being clear and simple, written in plain English, in the present tense and without legal terminology.
- Being useable in wide variety of situations from minor works to major projects
The suite of documents now include:
- NEC4: Alliance Contract
- NEC4: Design Build and Operate Contract
- NEC4: Dispute Resolution Service Contract
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Short Contract
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Short Subcontract
- NEC4: Facilities Management Contract
- NEC4: Facilities Management Short Contract
- NEC4: Facilities Management Short Subcontract
- NEC4: Facilities Management Subcontract
- NEC4: Framework Contract
- NEC4: Professional Service Contract
- NEC4: Professional Service Short Contract
- NEC4: Professional Service Subcontract
- NEC4: Supply Contract
- NEC4: Supply Short Contract
- NEC4: Term Service Contract
- NEC4: Term Service Short Contract
- NEC4: Term Service Subcontract
The Engineering and Construction Contract has 6 options:
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract Option A priced contract with activity schedule
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract Option B: priced contract with bill of quantities
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract Option C: target contract with activity schedule
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract Option D: target contract with bill of quantities
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract Option E: cost reimbursable contract
- NEC4: Engineering and Construction Contract Option F: management contract
There are a number of articles relating to NEC on Designing Buildings:
- Accepted programme.
- Activity schedule
- Compensation event.
- Cost reimbursable contract.
- Defined cost.
- Delay damages.
- Disallowed cost.
- Early contractor involvement.
- Early warning notice.
- Key dates.
- Latham Report.
- NEC contract change management systems.
- NEC contracts - road development and management schemes.
- NEC contracts and collaborative working.
- NEC early contractor involvement.
- NEC early warning notices - a tool of mutual benefit.
- NEC3.
- NEC4.
- NEC Option A: Priced contract with activity schedule.
- NEC Option B: Priced contract with bill of quantities.
- NEC Option C: Target contract with activity schedule.
- NEC Option D: Target contract with bill of quantities.
- NEC Option E: Cost reimbursable contract.
- Period for reply.
- Term Contract.
- The NEC and the Z clause.
- Time Risk Allowance.
- Z clauses.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
New and updated CLC building safety guidance.
New UK National Buildings Database.
Building Safety Wiki Interviews
Chief executive of the British Woodworking Federation.
Planning condition discharge in England and Wales
A brief explanation from a building compliance expert, with further links.
Overheating guidance and tools for building designers
Guidance for dealing with element of building fabric control that have increasing importance.
Shading for housing, a design guide
From the Good Homes Alliance and British Blind and Shutter Association.
UK Standard Skills Classification (SSC)
A shared framework for describing skills needs.
Social media ban consultation comes to close
CIOB urges UK Government to consider social media’s role in careers guidance in ban debate.
The latest of eight Skills England apprenticeship units
The addition of battery manufacturing welcomed by ECA with a warning about the risks of fast-tracked apprenticeship units.
Building Control Independent Panel final report
A precis of a key report led by Dame Hackitt with full recommendations and link to the government response.
Building Safety recap April, 2026
A short and longer run-through of the month, with links to further information and sources.

















Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.