Before there is an EOT application there is the notice letter: a short, dated communication to the Authority Engineer recording that a hindrance has occurred, that it affects the works, and that the Contractor will seek an extension. On many Indian public contracts the notice window is short and treated as a condition precedent, so the letter must go out fast. It does not need to be the finished argument. It needs to exist.
What the letter must contain
- Your reference number and date. A consistent convention, for example SIP/NH88/2026/043, with a running number that never repeats.
- The addressee. The Authority Engineer by name and designation, with copies as the contract requires.
- Project and package identification. Contract number, package, chainage range.
- The contract provision. The notice and extension provisions of the executed agreement under which the letter is given.
- The hindrance. What, where, since when, and the register entry number.
- The effect. Which activities are affected. Keep it factual; the analysis comes later.
- The reservation. That the Contractor will seek an extension of time and reserves its rights regarding cost.
- A request. Usually for removal of the hindrance and for the AE's countersignature of the register entry.
What it must not contain
- Invented dates or estimates dressed as facts. If the removal date is unknown, say the hindrance is continuing.
- A total delay figure you cannot yet support. State the affected activities; leave the days to the application.
- Accusatory language. The letter will be read by an arbitrator or committee years later; write for that reader.
- A clause number copied from a model form without checking the executed agreement.
A one-page structure
| Line | Example (illustrative) |
|---|---|
| Ref and date | SIP/NH88/2026/043 · 08 February 2026 |
| To | The Authority Engineer, PathWay Consultants, NH-88 Package III |
| Subject | Notice of hindrance: land not handed over, Ch. 42+300 to 44+100 |
| Para 1 | Reference to the EPC Agreement and the provisions on extension of time and notice |
| Para 2 | The hindrance, the date it commenced, the register entry number (HR-011), and its continuing status |
| Para 3 | The activities affected (earthwork and structures in the stated chainage) |
| Para 4 | Reservation of the right to apply for extension of time and to claim compensation |
| Para 5 | Request for early handover and for countersignature of the register entry |
| Enclosures | Register extract, site photographs dated, land status log |
Continuing hindrances
If the hindrance is ongoing, the first letter is not the last. Send periodic follow-up letters at a fixed interval, each referencing the original, until removal. A single notice followed by silence for four months reads as acquiescence.
What this means in practice
- One letter per hindrance, numbered, cross-referenced to the register entry.
- Facts and reservation only; analysis and totals belong in the application.
- Follow up on continuing hindrances at a fixed interval.
- Log the letter against the register entry the day it is sent, with the dispatch method.
The DraftMyEOT notice generator drafts an authority-style letter from the register entry in three steps, numbers it per your convention, and logs it against the hindrance once you mark it sent.
Start a 48-hour draft →Sources
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.