Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Workmanship definition

What does Workmanship mean? In legal practice, workmanship describes the quality and manner in which construction, installation or repair works are executed by the contractor or tradesperson. It concerns how the works are carried out (execution), rather than design, and is often expressed as an obligation to perform in a good and workmanlike manner and in accordance with good industry practice. Workmanship is a descriptive term, not a defined statutory concept. Its legal content is supplied by contract (specifications, drawings, standards) and by implied obligations recognised in legislation and case law. In England & Wales and Scotland, services must generally be performed with reasonable care...

Materials and workmanship in construction: SGSA 1982, CRA 2015, DPA 1972, UCTA 1977, implied terms, exclusions, deleterious materials, testing/inspection, conflicts, and standard form provisions (JCT, NEC, FIDIC)

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert

Practice notes

Materials, Goods and Workmanship

Employers place significant emphasis on the contractor’s materials and craft on a build, since, alongside the design, they dictate the calibre of the finished scheme—and whether the contractor has achieved the stipulated level of workmanship, and/or selected materials that satisfy the contract’s quality criteria, is frequently at the heart of disputes about defective work and alleged shortfalls. The building contract typically sets out comprehensive clauses on workmanship benchmarks and on the categories and grades of goods and materials the employer requires the contractor to use on the project. While the technical documents attached to the building contract usually contain most of the particulars and prescriptions, the principal contractual terms commonly also address the employer’s expectations regarding materials and workmanship. As noted in this Practice Note, numerous express terms in a building contract (or a sub-contract to the primary building contract) will echo statutory obligations on quality and Fitness for purpose, mirroring legal Requirements; the same approach is adopted in certain standard form construction contracts, where those statutory positions are reflected expressly in their drafting and terms...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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