Resources
Commercial Case Studies
Realistic commercial scenarios for Quantity Surveyors and Commercial Managers dealing with NEC4 Compensation Events.
The commercial case study is free. The full Worked Solution is part of the upcoming Pack.
Understand the commercial issue for free. The upcoming NEC4 Compensation Events Pack (planned launch price £79 one-off) will show how the commercial position can be assessed and worked through.
These are independently created practical scenarios designed to develop commercial reasoning. They are not official NEC worked examples.
Illustrative scenarios
These are independently created fictional scenarios for professional learning. Figures and conclusions are illustrative, not project-specific assessments or standard rates.
Start with your commercial problem
“The works are disrupted but planned Completion has not moved.”
Case 01: Disruption Without Delay“We are claiming extended preliminaries because of a CE.”
Case 02: Prolongation Cost Caused by a Compensation Event“The project was already late before the CE.”
Case 03: Existing Delay + Compensation Event“The PM has omitted or substituted part of the works.”
Case 04: Omission / Substitution“Most of the CE quotation came from a subcontractor.”
Case 05: Subcontractor Quotation Review“We have been told to recover the programme.”
Case 06: Acceleration vs Mitigation
Browse case studies
Case 01
Disruption Without Delay
Lesson: No delay ≠ no cost.
- Disruption
- Defined Cost
- Productivity
Case 02
Prolongation Cost Caused by a Compensation Event
Lesson: Prolongation ≠ weeks × prelim rate.
- Prolongation
- Programme
- Defined Cost
Case 03
Existing Delay + Compensation Event
Lesson: Existing delay ≠ later CE delay.
- Existing Delay
- Causation
- Double Counting
Case 04
Omission / Substitution
Lesson: Tender / BoQ value ≠ automatic CE valuation.
- Omission
- Substitution
- Option B
Case 05
Subcontractor Quotation Review
Lesson: Subcontract quote ≠ end of commercial review.
- Subcontract
- Quotation
- Defined Cost
Case 06
Acceleration vs Mitigation
Lesson: Mitigation ≠ acceleration.
- Acceleration
- Mitigation
- Programme
Cross-case commercial principles
Event ≠ Effect
One Compensation Event can create several cost and time effects. Those effects are not automatically separate Compensation Events.
Causation before valuation
Establish what happened, what changed because of it and what would otherwise have happened before assessing the monetary effect.
Programme first where time matters
Where a Compensation Event includes a time-related cost, establish the programme effect before using that time period as the basis of a commercial assessment.
Commercial Desk is an independent practical reference for construction professionals. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by NEC. It does not reproduce the NEC4 contract and is not a substitute for the applicable executed contract or professional or legal advice. Always check the relevant contract, Contract Data and amendments.