Interpreting Construction Contracts: Fundamental Principles for Contractors, Project Managers, and Contract Administrators

by H. Randolph Thomas & Ralph D. Ellis, Jr.

Every day, engineers and managers are called upon to understand and execute the terms of construction contracts. Often times these professionals have little or no legal training and find themselves relying upon intuition, common sense or hearsay with possibly unfortunate and expensive results. In Interpreting Construction Contracts, Thomas and Ellis seek to rescue these contractors, project managers, and contract administrators struggling to interpret these contracts. By using rules set forth by the judiciary and drawing upon decades of legal research and practical experience, the authors discuss the most troublesome contract clauses and present rules to construe them so as to avoid disputes that must be resolved in court. Diagrams and case studies appear, as well as over 70 discussion exercises and solutions, reinforcing the principles introduced in each chapter. As clear as it is pragmatic, Interpreting Construction Contracts is a welcome teaching resource and an essential reference for engineers and managers working in the construction industry.

464 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007