HT-2020-000448 - [2024] EWHC 1185 (TCC)
Technology and Construction Court

HT-2020-000448 - [2024] EWHC 1185 (TCC)

Fecha: 17-May-2024

Compliance with Notice Provisions

Compliance with Notice Provisions

239.

DBS did not serve any Non-conformance Report in respect of delays to R1-D. It was not therefore entitled to exercise the options in Clause 6.2, including the levying of Delay Damages. It remains entitled to general damages pursuant to Clause 6.3 if it can establish in excess of 6 months’ delay, and, of course, relevant causation and loss.

240.

TCS did not serve an Exception Report in respect of any delays specific to R1-D. This is a point taken against TCS by DBS on the pleadings in respect of delays caused after September 2018 by the purported Partial Termination, and TCS’s Reply refers back to the same defences in relation to the service of the Exception Report as have been considered in respect of R1-B&B above. No attention was given by the parties at trial to the question of compliance with notice provisions specific to R1-D. The notice given on 25 July 2016 and the subsequent draft Exception Report deals both with delays to the R1 programme as a whole (R1-B&B plus R1-D). DBS did not seek to develop any argument that, even if it was (as is the case) estopped from asserting that TCS was unable to claim relief because of its failure to serve an exception report within 5 days of 25 July 2016, fresh notices were required later in the project if, for example, new delays accrued due to reasons not covered in earlier correspondence. Moreover, I do not consider in circumstances where (as I find further below) TCS’s default was the wrongful removal of scope, it was necessary to serve an Exception Report relating to ‘Delay’. The contractual definition of Delay is not apposite to the non-delivery of part of the scope because of its unlawful removal. Its delivery had not been ‘delayed’ in both the normal and contractual sense of the word, it had simply been removed. For these reasons, I consider TCS is not prevented from advancing any claim for financial losses for delay and/or unlawful removal of scope by reason of a lack of notice.