UNIQUE FEATURES - Designed to be used as a desk top manual - Describes the main features of the contracts in the NEC family - Includes guidance on which NEC contract is appropriate for a particular project and how to prepare it - Useful for those who need more information about the NEC and its philosophy - Includes exercises at the end of several chapters to stimulate discussions about the many factors that need to be considered in choosing the right NEC contract BACKGROUND INFORMATION The last decades of the twentieth century saw huge changes in construction in the UK, particularly in procurement methods and contract strategy. In this book the author describes these changes as a construction reformation and suggests that the advent of the NEC played an important part in promoting those changes. Since its introduction to the construction sector in 1991, the NEC has been highly recommended in the Latham Report and more recently by the Office of Government Commerce and is now widely used on many small and large projects in the UK and worldwide. ENSURING PROJECT OBJECTIVES In this guide, Bill Weddell, a long standing member of the NEC Panel and a highly respected consultant and trainer on the NEC utilises his skills and wide knowledge of the NEC to provide new and existing users with guidance on how to select and implement NEC contracts to suit differing project needs and objectives. ACCURATE CONTRACT STRATEGIES This guide explains in a concise and practical manner how to decide on the appropriate contract strategy for any given project and how to prepare the contract document for each type of NEC contract. It describes each of the documents and explains the selection methods for the various options and how these are used to produce the contract document. The book also clarifies some of the distinguishing features of the NEC contracts in contrast to the more traditional standard forms and explains how the management procedures in each contract can be used to achieve the Employer's objectives by effective control of time, cost and quality. THE READERSHIP This guide is a valuable tool for anybody involved in the NEC supply chain including clients, consultants, contractors, subcontractors, project managers, quantity surveyors, adjudicators and service suppliers - across the complete spectrum of construction activity. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bill Weddell was on the original NEC Working Group and drafting team and has been involved in the later development of the NEC family of contracts up to the publication of NEC3. He has long experience of both design and construction of major civil engineering works including highways, bridges, docks and harbours, tunnels and sea defence works. He was Head of Contracts for a firm of consulting engineers and is now a contract consultant and runs training courses on the NEC.