Two new versions of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering’s (ACE) Infrastructure Conditions of Contract (ICC) have been released, with Network Rail set to be among the first to use them.
Network Rail plans to use them for upcoming enhancements and major renewals projects, as part of its five-year, £47bn investment programme for Control Period 6.
The ACE said the new contracts were ‘more concise, easier to read and follow a more logical sequence’ and now include early warning measures and encourage mutual trust and co-operation within the legal text.
The contracts have also been ‘future-proofed, accommodating issues such as BIM in a flexible way which will ensure the contract remains relevant no matter the level of BIM maturity’.
However the core clauses remain unchanged from the ‘with quantities’ version published in 2014, and the contracts still provide the flexibility to deal with a number of different situations.
Stephen Blakey, commercial projects director at Network Rail, said: 'These new standard forms will be simpler to use and manage, which will be welcome news to commercial practitioners and stakeholders across the supply chain.’
ACE chief executive Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, said: ‘Our contracts are a cost-effective way for contractors, consultants and engineers to mitigate risk, create trust and confidence, and to ensure they are as prepared as they can be to deliver major projects with certainty.’
The updated target cost and design and construct versions of the contracts are available to purchase from the ACE website.
The new ICC target costs (£33) and design and construct (£22) contracts are available to purchase from ACE’s website. Guidance notes produced to accompany the target costs contract cost £22.
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