A complete delay claim file has fourteen kinds of record in it. Most claims go in with six or seven. The list below is the checklist we use inside the product, and the question beside each category is the one an Engineer or tribunal will ask.
| # | Category | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contract with all Particular Conditions and amendments | What exactly did the parties agree, including the changes to the standard form? |
| 2 | Letters and transmittals | What was said, to whom, and when? |
| 3 | Site diaries | What happened on site each day, recorded that day? |
| 4 | Dated photographs and video | Can the obstruction be seen? |
| 5 | Meeting minutes | Was the delay raised and acknowledged at the time? |
| 6 | RFIs and responses | When was information needed, and when did it arrive? |
| 7 | Baseline programme and every update | What was the plan, and what was the actual progress at the time of the event? |
| 8 | Manpower and plant deployment records | What resources were idle or diverted, and when? |
| 9 | Material delivery records | Were materials held, diverted, or wasted? |
| 10 | Weather records | Was the weather abnormal, by an objective measure? |
| 11 | Drawing register with revision dates | When was each drawing issued and revised? |
| 12 | Instructions and variation orders | What scope changed, and when was it instructed? |
| 13 | Payment certificates and cost records | What did the extended period actually cost? |
| 14 | The notice log | Which notices were given, when, and by what method? |
How to use it
Run the list per delay event, not per project. A project-level file can look complete while a specific event has no photograph, no diary entry, and no notice. For each event, mark each category as present, missing, or not applicable. The missing ones in categories 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 14 are the urgent ones: they can only be created contemporaneously.
The three categories teams most often skip
- Programme updates (7). Produced for the monthly report, then discarded or overwritten. Archive every submitted update with its date; it is the raw material for any time impact analysis.
- Manpower and plant records (8). Kept for payroll, not for claims, and rarely tied to the location of the delay. Add a column for the affected zone.
- The notice log (14). Everyone assumes the sent-items folder is the log. It is not searchable, not dated to the event, and not shared. A one-line entry per notice with the letter number, date, method, and event reference is worth more than the folder.
What this means in practice
- Gap-check per event, not per project.
- Six categories are contemporaneous only; task the site with them while the event is live.
- Archive programme updates as submitted.
- Keep a real notice log.
DraftMyEOT shows this checklist on every delay event, filling in as evidence is linked, and the claim draft's annexure list is built from the same references.
Start a 48-hour draft →This article is general information about how these contract mechanisms typically work. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for review of your specific contract by a qualified professional.