Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Programme definition

What does Programme mean? In construction practice, a programme is the contractor’s time schedule for delivering the works, showing the sequence, durations and logic of activities, key dates/milestones, interfaces, procurement, and testing/commissioning. It is commonly presented as a Gantt-style timeline and identifies the critical path and float. Programmes are usually prepared at tender or project start (baseline) and updated regularly. “Programme” is not defined by statute; it is a contractual/project-management term whose legal effect depends on the contract. Its practical and legal significance includes planning completion, evidencing and assessing extensions of time, compensation events/variations, delay and disruption claims, prolongation costs, and exposure to liquidated damages. Treatment...

Contractor's Programme: Contractual Status, Parties' Obligations, Standard Form Positions (JCT, NEC, FIDIC, MF/1) and SCL Protocol Guidance

Published by a LexisNexis Construction expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note considers the status of the Programme in a construction contract, what difference it makes if the programme is a contract document and the approach of standard form contracts to the programme.

The programme sits at the heart of every construction scheme. It enables the contractor to arrange the job and map out how the works will be executed. It likewise allows the employer and Contract administrator to track progress, gauge the contractor’s output and evaluate delay. So, what duties do the parties have concerning the programme? Broadly, save where the construction contract provides to the contrary, the contractor may schedule the works and execute them in whatever sequence it considers appropriate, with the employer having limited sway over the order and tasks. In GLC v Cleveland Bridge and Engineering (1984) 34 BLR 50 (not available in LexisNexis®), the court observed that a contractor is generally entitled to 'plan and perform the work as he pleases, provided always that he finishes it by the time fixed in the contract'. Absent express terms in the contract, the employer has no remedy if the contractor fails to advance the works at a reasonable pace...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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