Catch the change before the clock starts
Detecting change as it happens, and classifying it against the contract before the notice clock starts ticking - so every compensation event is logged, classified and handed on with its notice window intact.
- Project
- Crestfield Distribution Centre, Warrington
- Contract
- NEC4 ECC Option A · £3,814,200
- Period
- Month 7 of 12 · May 2026
- Employer
- Crestfield Logistics Ltd
- Contractor
- Kelbrook Construction Ltd
- M&E sub
- BuiltAI (NEC4 ECS)
Illustrative example: fictional project and parties.
Catch the change before the clock starts
Under NEC4 ECC, a compensation event must be notified within 8 weeks of the Contractor becoming aware of it (clause 61.3). Miss the window and the entitlement is lost - time-barred, regardless of the merits. The Radar detects change events in real time, classifies each against the correct NEC4 clause, and hands it to The Clock (Stage 02) before the notice window closes.
This project - Crestfield Distribution Centre Phase 2 - is 7 months into a 12-month NEC4 ECC Option A contract. BuiltAI is the M&E subcontractor running power distribution, BMS, fire detection, lighting, ventilation and EV charging across a 180,000 sq ft logistics facility. 14 compensation events have been logged to date.
Classifying against the contract
Every change is classified against the NEC4 ECC compensation-event clauses (60.1). The classification sets the notice route, the time-bar risk and the entitlement basis. Three categories are most active on this project.
The most common trigger: an instruction that changes the Works Information - additional scope, design change, revised specification.
Late information, access or decisions. HV substation access was 3 weeks late.
Conditions an experienced contractor would not have foreseen - an unmapped gas main found during trench excavation.
CE-005: work in Zone C stopped for six working days pending archaeological assessment.
The live change event log - Month 7
Every event detected by The Radar, classified and time-stamped. The log feeds The Clock (notices), The Case (narrative) and The Count (valuation). Status: 8 agreed, 4 submitted, 2 in preparation.
| CE | Description | Clause | Detected | Est. value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CE-001 | Additional fire-rated cable penetration seals | 60.1(1) | 18 Nov 25 | £8,200 | Agreed |
| CE-002 | Revised BMS point schedule - 34 additional points | 60.1(1) | 3 Dec 25 | £14,600 | Agreed |
| CE-003 | Late access to HV substation - 3-week delay | 60.1(5) | 12 Dec 25 | £41,800 | Agreed |
| CE-004 | Unmapped gas main in cable-trench zone | 60.1(12) | 8 Jan 26 | £22,400 | Agreed |
| CE-005 | PM stop instruction - archaeological find | 60.1(3) | 14 Jan 26 | £16,800 | Agreed |
| CE-006 | EV charging upgrade - 22kW to 50kW DC | 60.1(1) | 2 Feb 26 | £38,200 | Agreed |
| CE-007 | Late issue of revised ventilation design - 2-week delay | 60.1(5) | 18 Feb 26 | £18,400 | Agreed |
| CE-008 | Additional external lighting columns - car park extension | 60.1(1) | 6 Mar 26 | £25,800 | Agreed |
| CE-009 | HV switchgear design change - civil works and programme impact | 60.1(1) | 24 Mar 26 | £43,039 | Submitted |
| CE-010 | Concealed asbestos in riser duct - diversion required | 60.1(12) | 8 Apr 26 | £12,400 | Submitted |
| CE-011 | Late power-on date from DNO - 4-week delay | 60.1(5) | 14 Apr 26 | £18,200 | Submitted |
| CE-012 | Additional emergency lighting to mezzanine | 60.1(1) | 22 Apr 26 | £7,800 | Submitted |
| CE-013 | Fire alarm panel relocation - structural clash | 60.1(1) | 6 May 26 | £12,200 | In prep |
| CE-014 | Late landlord BMS integration spec - commissioning | 60.1(5) | 12 May 26 | £20,600 | In prep |
| Total pipeline - 14 CEs | £300,439 | Agreed: £186,200 | |||
CE-009 - the event moving through the kit
CE-009 is the compensation event currently moving through the Commercial Control Kit workflow, from detection here to submission at The Drop. Each subsequent stage picks it up and shows how it progresses.
- What changed
- PM instruction PMI-047 (24 March 2026) changed the HV switchgear from an 11kV ring-main unit (Schneider RM6) to a 33kV panel (Schneider MCSET), following a revised DNO connection agreement. Not a like-for-like substitution: it needs a larger enclosure (an additional 2.4m × 1.8m civil base), dry-type terminations, and a re-sequenced commissioning programme.
- When detected
- 24 March 2026, logged at 14:22, within 2 hours of receiving PMI-047.
- Classification
- Clause 60.1(1) - a PM instruction changing the Scope. Clear-cut, no mixed classification.
- Cost impact
- Estimated Defined Cost £38,600 (switchgear differential £18,400, civil base £8,200, terminations £2,800, commissioning re-sequence £4,400, prelims £4,800); with the Fee at 11.5% (£4,439) the submitted quotation is £43,039.
- Programme
- 1.5 weeks added to planned Completion - the 33kV DNO witness test needs a 4-week booking against 2 for 11kV, net of re-sequencing.
- Notice status
- Early warning 25 March (clause 15.1); CE notified 26 March (clause 61.3); PM responded 28 March, not disputed; quotation submitted 8 April (clause 62.3).
Stage 01 gate - change detected, clock set
A misclassified CE costs time downstream; a missed CE costs money forever. The gate confirms each of these before the event moves on.
- Change event detected and logged within 24 hours.
- NEC4 clause classification confirmed (the 60.1 sub-clause identified).
- Source instruction or event documented (PMI, RFI, site record, photo).
- Initial cost and programme impact estimated (order of magnitude).
- Early-warning assessment made (clause 15.1).
- CE handed to The Clock for notice tracking and deadline management.
Hand-off to The Clock™: CE-009 is the priority item - quotation submitted 8 Apr, PM response due 22 Apr, further information requested 12 May. Track the deemed-acceptance trigger (clause 62.6). CE-013 and CE-014 need notification within the 8-week window - by 1 Jul and 7 Jul respectively.