JBCC — common questions

Where you’ll meet it: Private building work — commercial, retail, residential and institutional buildings where an architect leads the professional team.

What is JBCC and where is it used?

JBCC is the suite published by the Joint Building Contracts Committee, a South African body representing employers, professional consultants, and contractors. The Principal Building Agreement (currently edition 6.2) is the most widely used standard building contract in the country. It's home-grown, written for local building work, and follows the traditional model where a principal agent administers the contract.

How do I claim an extension of time?

Under JBCC you claim a revision of the date for practical completion where a listed cause beyond your control has delayed the works. Crucially, notice is required within the periods the contract sets — fail to give the required notice and you can forfeit the claim. Keep tight, contemporaneous delay records; they are what a revision claim stands or falls on.

What is practical completion?

Practical completion is the stage at which the works are complete enough to be used for their intended purpose, apart from minor items. The principal agent issues a certificate of practical completion. It's a pivotal date: risk and certain obligations shift, and penalty (delay damages) provisions run against the intended or revised date for practical completion.

How does interim payment work?

JBCC works on interim payment certificates. The contractor submits a claim, the quantity surveyor values the work done, and the principal agent certifies payment at the intervals set in the contract, up to the final payment certificate. Watch the timelines — a payment claim and certification each have their own periods, and late or under-valued certificates should be queried promptly.

What is the role of the principal agent?

The principal agent (usually the architect on a building project) administers the JBCC contract on the employer's behalf — issuing contract instructions, certifying payment and completion, and deciding certain matters between the parties. Communications and claims are generally routed through the principal agent, so getting the addressee and the form of notice right matters.

How are variations handled?

Changes come through contract instructions issued by the principal agent. The value of the varied work is determined under the contract's pricing rules — using contract rates where applicable, or fair valuation where not. Keep instructions in writing; verbal directions should be confirmed in writing before you price and proceed, to protect your entitlement.

Setout doesn’t supply the JBCC contract itself — that comes from its publisher. We answer questions about it and offer editable administration templates that work alongside the official form.

Sources: [1] · [2]

General guidance on how the JBCC contract works — not legal advice, and no substitute for reading the contract and its amendments on your specific project.