Signing date
When the documents were signed. Check separately whether a deposit, drawing approval or start condition is linked to it.
SIISTANDARD
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE
SII / SCHEDULE FOLLOW-UP
Renovation running late?Ask for a reason and a revised schedule.
Find out which work is delayed, how much time it affects and what happens next. Compare the original dates, the delay notice and the revised plan. “A little longer” does not tell you when the remaining work will be done.
Still reviewing a contract? Use the same questions to clarify the start conditions, completion scope, extensions and notices.
Illustrative record · not a real case
Cabinets are late. What happens next?
- The reply
- “The cabinets haven’t arrived. We need a few more days.”
- First, ask
- When are they expected, when can installation take place, and which later tasks are affected?
- Then, check
- Revised milestone and completion dates; any payment or handover arrangements that need discussion.
Keep the original schedule and add a dated revision. Do not overwrite the old dates.
A delay has happened. Start here.
Separate what is known from what still needs an answer. These steps organize the documents; they do not determine fault or compensation.
Identify the work that is behind
Compare the original schedule with completed work and site records. Note what should have been finished, by when, and its current status. The number of people on site is not a progress record.
Ask for a written explanation
Request the event, its timing, the affected work, the estimated delay and how that estimate was reached. If details are unknown, record who will provide them and when the next update is due.
Reschedule the remaining work
Ask for a dated revision showing the remaining sequence, stage checks, completion and handover. A new final date alone does not show how the work will get there.
Check payment and change records
Compare each payment condition with the work and documents actually completed. Keep proposed extra costs, extensions and payment changes separate. Do not use this checklist alone to decide to withhold or deduct payment.
Keep the originals and both parties’ replies
Keep the quote, contract, old and new schedules, site photos, additions and deductions, delay notices and payment records together. Mark unresolved points as awaiting confirmation.
Six dates with different jobs.
Use these labels to check the records. Your actual start and completion conditions depend on the project agreement.
Planned start
When work is intended to begin. Check drawings, selections, permissions, site access and any agreed payment prerequisites.
Actual start
Record what work started and when. Then check whether that event meets the agreed condition for starting the clock.
Planned completion
The original target for the agreed scope. Retain it when scope changes and record why a revision is proposed.
Actual completion
Check the agreed completion requirements, not simply the last day someone worked on site.
Acceptance date
Record the acceptance outcome, defect follow-up and document delivery. Clarify which requirements must be met before acceptance is complete.
Eight questions to put beside the schedule.
Open a question for wording you can use and the record to ask for. Treat missing information as a request for clarification, not an assumed agreement.
Starting and finishing
01How are the days counted?
Ask this
Does the duration use calendar days, working days or days actually worked on site? Please define the calculation and the treatment of weekends, holidays, building restrictions and stoppages.
Keep this recordThe calculation method, excluded dates and stop/restart records. A total number of days is not enough to explain the count.
02What starts the clock?
Ask this
Which drawings, selections, permissions, access arrangements and payments must be completed before the duration starts? Please name the responsible parties, planned dates and how the actual start will be confirmed.
Keep this recordPrerequisites, each party’s outstanding tasks and the start confirmation. Do not substitute the signing date for the start date.
03Does waiting time count?
Ask this
How are material waiting periods, building restrictions and other periods when work cannot proceed counted? If an extension is proposed, please identify the agreed basis, affected work, extra days and confirmation process.
Keep this recordThe specific event and period, the relevant agreement, affected tasks and both parties’ replies.
04What counts as completion?
Ask this
Does completion include cleaning, tests, defect correction, equipment and document delivery? Please distinguish work completion, initial and follow-up inspections, handover and the warranty start, with their conditions and dates.
Keep this recordCompletion requirements, inspection and handover lists, and the relationship between dates. Leaving the site is not the same as finishing every obligation.
Changes, notices and payments
05How do changes affect the schedule?
Ask this
For each addition, deduction or change, will the work sequence or duration change? Please list estimated added or reduced days separately from costs, with revised milestone and completion dates for both parties to check.
Keep this recordOne change reference linking scope, amount, time impact, schedule version and confirmation records.
06How are shortages or exceptional events handled?
Ask this
What agreed provisions apply to material shortages, staffing, weather or an event described as force majeure? Please set out notices, supporting records, alternatives and time and cost effects, rather than simply citing site conditions.
Keep this recordThe explanation, effects and missing information. Whether an event qualifies as force majeure or creates liability requires appropriate project-specific professional advice.
07Who sends notice and a revised plan?
Ask this
When a delay is expected, who notifies whom, when and by which channel? When will the revised schedule be provided? If the completion date is uncertain, please identify what is unresolved and when the next update will be given.
Keep this recordAgreed channels, recipients, timing, acknowledgements, outstanding replies and schedule revisions—not only verbal promises.
08What links stage checks to payment?
Ask this
What completed work, checks or documents correspond to each stage payment? If work is delayed, please identify what is unfinished and which payment, recovery or follow-up arrangements need separate confirmation under the existing agreement.
Keep this recordA comparison of stage outcomes, checks and payment conditions. Seek qualified legal advice on liability, compensation or termination.
Six vague replies, with a useful follow-up.
These examples do not establish that a clause is invalid or that someone has breached a contract. They show what information to ask for.
“The job takes this many days.”
Starting from which event, and using which kind of days? Establish the starting point and counting method before comparing progress.
“We can change the completion date.”
When will you notify us, with what explanation and revised plan? How do both parties confirm the change, and what happens if they disagree?
“Site conditions allow an extension.”
Which event affected which work, for how long? Please explain each event against the relevant agreement instead of grouping every cause together.
“We agreed the extra cost.”
Was the time impact also confirmed? Record added or reduced days, affected tasks and the proposed new dates.
“Payment is due on that date.”
What work or documents do the original payment conditions refer to, and are they complete? Record any proposed adjustment separately.
“Just wait a little longer.”
What will be finished next, when, and who will update us? If no workable plan is provided, retain the correspondence and seek appropriate professional help.
Choose your situation. Copy the full inquiry.
Add the project name, original schedule version and known facts before sending. This asks for information; it does not accept an extension, payment change or allocation of responsibility.
When the reply arrives, check three things
- Does each explanation identify affected work, time and supporting information—not just a reason?
- Does the revision cover the remaining tasks, checks and handover—not just a new final date?
- Which points are confirmed and which remain disputed? Keep both parties’ replies with every schedule version.
STANDARD INTEGRITY INSTITUTE
READ → COMPARE → DISCUSS
Not sure what your quote leaves unexplained?
SII reviews documents for Transparency, Consistency, Reasonableness and Executability to identify information worth clarifying. It does not rate contractors or determine breach, compensation, force majeure or actual site progress.
Check the related documents
Six questions about renovation delays
Are start and completion dates enough?
First establish what each date means. Then check duration calculations, prerequisites, completion scope, extensions, notices and stage acceptance. Dates alone do not explain how changes will be handled.
Should the duration use working or calendar days?
This checklist does not prescribe a universal choice. Agree the method explicitly, including weekends, holidays, building restrictions and stoppages, so the same number of days does not produce different expected dates.
Does a material shortage automatically justify an extension?
The word “shortage” alone does not settle that question. Check the agreement and ask for affected tasks, notices, records, alternatives and estimated days. Disputed extension rights or liability require project-specific legal advice.
Does extra work automatically move the completion date?
Do not infer agreement on time from agreement on a price. Record the work sequence and time effects separately, check revised milestone, completion and acceptance dates, and retain both parties’ responses.
Can I withhold the final payment if the project is late?
This page does not recommend withholding, deducting or making payment. Compare the contract’s payment conditions with completed work, notices and dispute provisions. If the parties disagree, seek suitable legal advice with the documents and correspondence.
Can SII decide who is at fault or how much they owe?
No. SII identifies missing, ambiguous or unconfirmed information in documents. It does not issue legal liability, compensation or engineering conclusions. Those questions need appropriate professionals to consider the actual documents and facts.
General document checks and inquiry prompts only—not legal advice, engineering assessment, site supervision or a decision on responsibility. Illustrations are not real cases or universal project durations or notice periods.