Abstract
THE subject-matter of an engineering contract necessitates that the documents of which the contract is composed must make provision for contingencies and events of a special nature. In this respect, it has peculiarities not to be found in other forms of contract, and is often inevitably of considerable length. The Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers asked Mr. E. J. Rimmer to write a paper on the subject which will be discussed by correspondence until May 15. The Council gave the author of this paper a very wide discretion in the choice of the title and in the scope of the paper. He has wisely chosen to give a comprehensive survey of the whole subject of engineering contracts. Many engineering contract works are to be constructed in, or erected and fixed on to, land. They cannot, therefore, be rejected and sent back to the contractor if they prove to be unsatisfactory; the material and labour may have to be carried out in the open air with material and labour of varying quality; the conditions of excavation and foundation cannot be entirely foreseen until the ground is opened up; the execution of the works also may result in damage to property belonging to other persons. In addition, the completion of the work may extend over several years, and the employer may desire to use the completed parts of the work before the final completion of the whole.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Conditions of Engineering Contracts. Nature 143, 234–235 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/143234c0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/143234c0