Completion

The NEC Completion definition is a test, not a date. It asks two questions: has the Contractor done the work the Scope says is to be finished by the Completion Date, and has it put right any notified Defects serious enough to stop the Client using the works or Others doing their work?

So a job can reach Completion with minor Defects still open, and fail to reach it with only a small item outstanding. The test sits in clause 11.2 (item 2 in NEC3 ECC; NEC3 says Works Information and Employer where NEC4 says Scope and Client). It's one of the most argued terms in this glossary of NEC definitions.

The fallback nobody wants

If the Scope doesn't list what has to be done by the Completion Date, the contract falls back on a looser standard: whatever the Client needs done before it can use the works, and whatever Others need before they can carry on with their work.

That fallback is a common cause of dispute. The Contractor reads "usable" to mean the building opens, while the Client reads it to mean that operating manuals, training, as-built records and commissioning certificates are in place. Neither reading is obviously wrong, because nobody wrote the answer down. A one-page completion definition in the Scope avoids most of this argument.

A worked example

A fictional refurbishment of a school science block. The Scope requires the rooms, services, fume cupboard commissioning and handover files by the Completion Date. On the planned date:

Item outstanding	Does it stop Completion?	Why
Scratched paint on two doors, notified as a Defect	No	Wouldn't stop the school using the block
Fume cupboard extraction fails its test, notified as a Defect	Yes	Rooms can't safely be used as intended
Handover files not issued	Yes	The Scope lists them, so it doesn't matter that the rooms work
Landscaping the Scope says may finish after the Completion Date	No	Not work stated for that date

The third row surprises people most. Being able to use the building doesn't matter if the Scope states something else that's still undone.

Who decides, and what it triggers

The date of Completion is the Project Manager's decision, and the certificate follows within one week of that date (clause 30.2). The date is when the test was met. The certificate only records it, so a late certificate doesn't move the date.

A lot depends on that decision:

• Delay damages stop running, where Option X7 applies.
• Take over generally follows within two weeks. The exception is Completion ahead of the Completion Date where the Contract Data says the Client isn't willing to take over early (35.1).
• The defects date counts forward from Completion of all the works.
• The defect correction period starts for Defects notified before Completion.
• Bonus and retention entries under Options X6 and X16 can also depend on it.

What people get wrong

• Treating "practical completion" as the same thing. That's a term from other contract forms and carries its own history. Under NEC, apply the words in your own contract, and keep the labels separate.
• Waiting for zero snags. A Project Manager who withholds certification until every minor Defect is closed is applying a stricter test than the contract does.
• Certifying with listed work missing. Being helpful about a handover date can also mean giving up rights the Client wanted. If the Client wants early use without Completion, look at take over instead.
• Forgetting unnotified Defects. The test refers to notified Defects, so the Supervisor needs to notify anything serious before the decision is made.

With sections or Key Dates

Under Option X5, Completion also applies section by section, each with its own date. Key Dates work differently: they test a stated Condition, not Completion. For the date itself, see the Completion Date definition.

Related guides

• NEC Definitions: A Glossary of Key Terms
• Completion Date
• Contract Data
• Contract Date
• Accepted Programme

This guide is general information in our own words, not legal advice. Your contract and its Contract Data always govern. NEC, NEC3 and NEC4 are trade marks of Thomas Telford Ltd; Contract Status is not affiliated with or endorsed by NEC.