How to Review a Contractor Progress Claim

Claim verification is more than recalculating figures. It should connect the period, contract baseline, physical results, quantities, materials, changes, deductions and evidence so the decision is traceable.

How to assess this decision in practice

Set one cut-off for documents and site conditions. Photographs or measurements after the claim date may support clarification but should remain separate from progress actually present at period end.

Do not combine completed work, unfixed materials, variations and time claims into one percentage. Each has a different evidence basis, ownership risk and contractual treatment.

What to check

Use this list as a starting point. The depth of review should still match the project stage, decision value, documents and risks.

1. Confirm claim number, cut-off period, contract, BOQ and applicable revisions.
2. Compare previous, current, cumulative and remaining progress for each item or milestone.
3. Verify quantities and results on site before work is concealed or conditions change.
4. Separate approved and unapproved variations, on-site materials, retention, advances, taxes and deductions.
5. Record recommended, clarification, unsupported and conditional values before approval.

Turn the review into a recorded decision

1. Set the baseline: documents, conditions, dates, parties, reviewed areas and access limitations.
2. Separate observed facts, third-party statements, assumptions, risks and professional opinions.
3. For each issue, define the required decision, authority, action owner, target and closure evidence.
4. Retain document versions and approvals so later changes can be compared against the correct basis.

Questions before deciding

A useful answer should be traceable to documents, site conditions, a responsible party or a clearly stated assumption boundary.

• Does the claim use a consistent period and baseline?
• Which physical evidence supports each material value?
• Which deductions and balances carry into the next claim?

How to document the outcome

Record information sources, review dates, documents read, people interviewed, inaccessible conditions, key findings, decisions, owners and follow-up deadlines. Separate facts, third-party statements, assumptions and recommendations.

For legal, structural, geotechnical, tax, permitting, land, design or specialist-testing decisions, use appropriately authorised and qualified professionals.