March 2020 – Construction Law

COVID-19: UK Coronavirus Act 2020 – Implications for the Construction Industry

Mar 31 2020

Authors: Inga K. Hall, Saya Lee

The 359-page emergency Coronavirus Bill received royal assent on 25 March 2020. This newly passed Coronavirus Act 2020 (the Act) contains extensive powers and additional measures to equip the UK government and other authorities to better respond to the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK. The new Act is time-limited to two years by a sunset clause (Section 89) and will be subject to six-month parliamentary reviews (Section 98)

COVID-19: UK Public Sector Construction – Cash Flow Relief for Suppliers

Mar 31 2020

Authors: Daniel T. Lopez de Arroyabe, Inga K. Hall, Kevin Greene

The impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry has been the subject of much debate this week, as discussed in our blog article “COVID-19 Construction Industry – Operating in a Pandemic”, with businesses split over whether or not to shut down operations in order to protect the health and safety of those working on construction sites. The division has been exacerbated by the lack of a clear Government directive either way, meaning that it has – for the time being at least – been left in the hands of individual companies to decide whether or not to stop work.

‘Fitness for Purpose’ and Conflicting Obligations in Offshore Wind Projects

Mar 29 2020

Authors: Charles Lockwood and Owen Chio

Two recent cases in the UK illustrate the tricky issues Employers and Contractors have to grapple with in defining the responsibilities of contractors involved in the construction of offshore wind projects.

COVID-19: Coronavirus Concerns Prompt Two-Week Halt to All Construction in Boston

Mar 19 2020

Authors: Steven P. Wright, John L. Gavin

Another industry felt the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on Monday, 16 March, when, amid growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced a two-week halt to all construction projects in the City of Boston. Boston’s construction ban went into effect on Tuesday, 17 March, and will last at least two weeks. Although the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures has increased across the nation in recent days, Boston’s construction ban is the first of its kind in the United States. This alert discusses the impacts of the construction ban, as well as the broader implications of the ban in Boston and for the rest of the nation.

To read the full alert, please click here.

For more information and resources on COVID-19, please click here.

Archive:March 2020