On the 25th October 2017 Lord Prior of Brampton announced that as part of its review into the 2011 changes to the Construction Act,1 the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was publishing two consultations on payment practices in the construction sector. The purpose of the consultation was to assess whether and to what extent government intervention may be required in respect of payment practices.
This article looks at the existing legislation governing payment processes in construction contracts and how, if at all, changes to the Regulations or the Construction Act could improve the payment process and reduce the financial exposure of SME’s.