Contract Administration or Employer’s Agent. Unsure which one you need?
While they generally handle similar responsibilities, which one you need will boil down to what type of project you have and what form of contract you are going to use.
For a design and build contract, you’ll need an Employer’s Agent. For a more conventional contract, you’ll require a Contract Administrator.
Here, we’ll go into further detail on the differences between the two services, and let you know how we can help you with both.
When do I need a Contract Administrator?
As we said above, if you’ve got a more conventional contract for your project, a Contract Administrator is what you’ll need.
What do they do?
Put simply, they manage the building contract on your behalf, making sure the contract you’ve struck with your contractor is fulfilled to the letter.
There are a number of duties a Contract Administrator will undertake during your project, including;
Preparing contracts
Explaining the contract at each stage
Delivering the contract
Carrying out regular site inspections
Managing the construction process
A Contract Administrator role won’t usually start until you’ve signed on the dotted line and the construction contract is entered into, which again differs to an Employer’s Agent.
Unless specifically aske to, the Contact Administrator does not have any design responsibility or interaction with the design process.
What about an Employer’s Agent?
An Employer’s Agent will manage the delivery of a design and build contract and, unlike a Contract Administrator, can be hired and begin work before a contract is in place.
This is a key difference, as an Employer’s Agent can carry out similar tasks as a Contract Administrator but can also help during the early stages of a project, such as concept/design or tender.
What can they do?
An Employer’s Agent can act on your behalf on all matters, including:
Receiving and issuing applications, consents, instructions, notice requests or statements
Issuing instructions
Managing changes and payments as well as claims and disputes
Reporting
Establishing and certifying when works are complete.
How Quoinstone Can Help You
The construction industry can be stressful, and with many plates spinning at the same time, it’s not uncommon for one of them to slip.
That’s where we can help.
At Quoinstone, we learned over the years to always prepare for the unexpected. Throughout our years of experience in the industry, we’ve honed our ability to manage projects of all sizes, both as a Contract Administrator and an Employer’s Agent.
Our service has one very simple aim, to make all aspects of the construction process easier for clients and remove the stress from construction projects.
Our pro-active and client focused Employer’s Agent service will act as the vital link between you and your contractor, always keeping you in the loop, and delivering your project on time and on budget.
If you’ve got a more traditional contract our Contract Administration service will be with you from day one of the project, keeping it on track and dealing with any issues ahead of time to ensure plain sailing.
If you have a project you’d like to discuss with us, why not contact our team today at contact@quionstoneproperty.co.uk, or call us on 01962 435 023.