Essential Records You’ll Need to Prove Claims for Increased Construction Costs

Essential Records You’ll Need to Prove Claims for Increased Construction Costs

At ECL Software, our entire purpose is to ensure that our clients in the construction industry can easily collaborate with one another. Part of this process is ensuring that the necessary records are kept to protect the project from a number of possibilities – including proving a claim for increased construction costs.

Most companies know to keep a daily report, and we’ve covered the importance of ensuring that the daily report is comprehensive and collaborative, but there are many other records that are just as important. Read on to learn more about what we recommend and then reach out to us at 800-625-5972 to learn how we can help with construction fund control, collaboration, and much more.

Complete correspondence records

You need clear, comprehensive, and specific information on all correspondence that relates to each claim. This includes letters and memoranda to and from subcontractors, the DOT, and others. At ECL Software, we’re confident you’ll find our collaborative software a simple solution to keeping correspondence in a single place.

The minutes from every meeting as well as every internal memo

No matter what the meeting is about, it needs to have meetings if you think there’s any chance you’ll ever have to prove it happened. You need these minutes especially to prove that you did what you could to fix issues with the DOT and its representatives. You also need copies of any and all internal memos related to these issues.

Every iteration of your plans and specifications

Any construction manager is going to keep the plans and their specifications, but it’s just as important to have every single amendment as well. This includes clarifications, details, and any options the owner chose as they relate to plans and specifications. Once again, we can help you create a collaborative workplace that ensures every draft is saved.

Schedules

You need both the schedule you planned initially, the timeframe things actually took, and how you updated the schedule accordingly. We also suggest including photos and video from the jobsite that show the status of the work and that clearly show what conditions led up to the need for an increase in construction costs.

All other miscellaneous evidence

The above are things that are included in virtually every construction job. However, your job is unique and will have unique options. For example, you may need documents that detail all dealings with contractors, subcontractors, etc. You may need other evidence that can support your claim, like completion schedules, flow chats, accident reports, inspections, projections, etc. Finally, make sure that job cost records are there, as they’ll be a crucial part of proving the additional costs.

Success depends on your entire crew working together

With so many different aspects of the job site involved in a claim for increased construction costs, it’s important that the process isn’t slowed down due to communication issues. If you’re wondering how this is possible, then we urge you to reach out to ECL Software and find out more about what we offer. Communication is key and we hold that key. Call us at 800-625-5972 for more information.