Contract Reviews
Understand the terms before you commit. We flag commercial risk and practical negotiation points.
Get a Contract Review
Commercial support. Without the overhead.
QS support for
subcontractors.
Know the risks before you sign. Get your variations valued. Keep payments moving. Experienced commercial support for contractors and subcontractors, without another permanent hire.
Contract reviews, usually £200. No VAT to add. Scope and fee confirmed before work starts.
- 20+ years’ construction experience
- Based in Kegworth · UK-wide support
What’s costing
you money?
Do any of these sound familiar?
You’re busy delivering the job. We help with the commercial issues that can eat into the return.
01
Your valuation has been reduced
You’ve done the work. The assessment tells a different story. We’ll review the gap and what supports your position.
02Variations aren’t getting agreed
Extra work is building up, but agreement isn’t following. We’ll help make the instruction, cost and evidence clear.
03You’ve been sent a contract you don’t fully understand
Before you sign, know what you’re taking on, and which terms could put your margin at risk.
04Your final account isn’t moving
The job may be finished, but the commercial work isn’t. We’ll help organise the outstanding items and move the discussion forward.
05You’ve got a tender but no commercial resource
A bigger opportunity shouldn’t mean pricing in the dark. Get experienced support with scope, quantities and pricing.
Subcontract reviewRisk checklist
The detail matters.
A few questions worth asking before you sign.
01
Payment provisions
How many days until payment? When must you apply, and how must notices be served?
02
Retention
How much is held back, and what triggers each release?
03
Contra charges
What can be deducted? What notice and evidence are required?
04
Design responsibility
What design are you responsible for, and what standard must it meet?
05
Programme obligations
What are the key dates? How do you notify delay, and what happens if delays are concurrent?
06
Liquidated damages
How much per day or week? Is there a cap, and when can they apply?
07
Variations
Who can instruct a change? How do you notify it, agree its value and get paid?
08
Termination
Who can end the contract, on what grounds, and what happens to payment?
Common review areas. The terms in your contract will determine the risks.
Contract reviews for subcontractors
Know the risks. Spot the opportunities. Before you sign.
A subcontract review from LJS looks at more than the clauses. We identify the commercial risks in the terms you've been sent, suggest practical ways to manage them, and point out where there may be opportunities to protect or improve your margin. It draws on more than 20 years across quantity surveying and commercial project delivery, including main-contractor experience.
What a review helps you understand
- Payment terms: when and how you must apply, the payment periods, and which notices must be served, and by when.
- Retention: how much is held and what triggers each release.
- Notice periods: the deadlines and formats for notifying delays, variations or other events, and what happens if a notice is late or missed.
- Variations: who can instruct a change, how it must be recorded, and how it will be valued and paid.
- Set-off and contra charges: what can be deducted from your payments, and what notice and evidence are required.
- Liability and damages: liquidated damages, caps, indemnities and design responsibility.
- Termination: who can end the contract, on what grounds, and what happens to payment.
- Opportunities: points to clarify, qualify or negotiate before signing, and ways the terms could help you protect or improve margin.
A contract review is a commercial review by a quantity surveyor. It is not legal advice.
What to send us
- The subcontract or order you've been asked to sign, including any schedule of amendments
- Any documents it refers to that you have, such as the scope, specification, programme or main contract extracts
- Your quotation or tender, if the subcontract is based on it
- The date you need to sign or respond by
What you get back
- A written summary of the key commercial terms
- The main risks, with practical suggestions for managing them
- Opportunities to protect or improve your margin
- Points to clarify or negotiate with the contractor before you sign
Fees
- Contract review: usually £200 per review
- Larger or more complex contracts are quoted before any work starts.
- General advice and checking work: £85 per hour
- Scope and fee are confirmed before any work starts.
- No VAT to add: the price you see is the price you pay.
Prefer to email the contract? Send it to info@ljsquantitysurveying.com.
Six services. One commercial partner.
Your commercial department,
when you need one.
A specific problem or extra capacity across the job. Bring us in where we can make a difference.
Tenders & Pricing
Price the full scope, spot the gaps and submit with clear qualifications.
Get supportValuations & Payments
Present the work clearly, support your application and challenge unexplained reductions.
Get supportVariations
Turn changes on site into clear records, substantiated values and a stronger position.
Get supportCost Reporting
See what is spent, what is committed and what is still needed to finish.
Get supportFinal Accounts
Bring the numbers and evidence together so you can move towards agreement.
Get supportBuilt on practical experience
Experience behind
every project.
20+years’ construction experience
UK-wideremote commercial support
Experience across Crossrail, healthcare, education, residential, commercial and reinstatement work.
Explore projects and experience
About Lee Scaysbrook
Experienced judgement. Practical support.
LJS Quantity Surveying is led by Lee Scaysbrook. We bring more than 20 years across quantity surveying and commercial project delivery to the work on your desk.
Lee’s experience includes Crossrail / Elizabeth line, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Sneinton Market and Abbey Park Campus, Leicester College. The projects page distinguishes LJS commissions from Lee’s earlier employed roles.
Lee holds an Edexcel Level 4 NVQ in Construction Contracting Operations (Surveying). Professional indemnity insurance held.
Lee ScaysbrookAssociate Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
Clear scope. Clear fee. Clear next step.
From your desk
to a way forward.
- 01
Send the information
Share the documents, the deadline and what’s holding things up.
- 02
Agree the scope
We confirm how we can help, the cost and when we can complete it.
- 03
Move the job forward
Get completed work or clear commercial advice you can put into action.
Contract reviews are usually £200 per review. General advice and checking work is £85 per hour. Other defined tasks are quoted at a fixed fee. Scope, timing and fee are confirmed before work starts.
Before you send your contract
Contract review questions
What is a subcontract review?
A quantity surveyor reads the subcontract or order you've been sent and explains the commercial risks, how to manage them, and any opportunities to protect your margin, before you sign.
How much does a contract review cost?
Usually £200 per review for a typical subcontract or order. Heavily amended terms or large document sets are quoted before we start. Larger or more complex contracts are quoted before any work starts. General advice and checking work is £85 per hour. LJS is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT to add.
Which contracts do you review?
JCT and NEC subcontracts, contractors' own bespoke terms, and purchase orders with terms attached.
What do I need to send?
The subcontract or order, any schedule of amendments, the documents it refers to, your quotation if the subcontract is based on it, and the date you need to sign by.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's a commercial review by a quantity surveyor. If a point needs a solicitor, we'll say so.
Do you only work in the East Midlands?
We're based in Kegworth and work remotely across the UK, with site visits across the East Midlands, including Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
Kegworth-based. UK-wide support.
Contract reviews from Kegworth, across the UK
We review subcontract documents remotely across the UK, with site visits across the East Midlands where useful.
Leicester
Contract reviews for subcontractors in Leicester, with remote document review from Kegworth and local site visits where needed. Lee’s project experience includes Abbey Park Campus at Leicester College.
Derby
Subcontractors in Derby can send JCT, NEC or bespoke terms for a commercial review before signing. We work remotely from Kegworth and can arrange site visits in the Derby area.
Nottingham
Contract reviews for subcontractors in Nottingham, backed by regional experience including Sneinton Market and Nottingham’s education and civic estates. Remote support and local site visits are available.
Let’s get it off your desk
Got something sitting on your desk?
Send it to us.
Not sure what you need or which documents to send? Let’s talk it through.
Call us on 01509 357550, or use the enquiry form to describe the problem you’re facing. We’ll explain how we can help and tell you exactly what we need to see. You don’t need to attach a document to get started.
Your first conversation is free. We’ll talk through what you need and tell you honestly whether we can help. If we can, we’ll confirm the scope and fee before any work starts, and there’s no obligation to go ahead.
No obligation. No permanent hire.
Just commercial support when you need it.
Your first conversation is free
More work doesn’t have
to mean more overhead.
Experienced quantity surveying support for contractors and subcontractors, when you need it, without adding another permanent salary.