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The Clause That Killed the Project
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A construction company, an engineering firm, and a team of highly paid lawyers sat in a glossy boardroom to finalize a $300 million infrastructure contract. Everyone was ready to sign—except for one guy. Let’s say that his name was Barry. So, everyone was ready to sign except for… Barry, the junior lawyer. Con dos cojones… (or with two balls). He leaned in dramatically, tapped a paragraph, and said: “We can’t proceed. Clause 14.3 doesn’t define what constitutes ‘substantial completion’.” The room went silent. The contractor, who'd spent 12 years building dams in deserts, roads in the jungle and petrol platforms in the North Sea, raised an eyebrow and said: “It means it’s mostly done. You know, substantial.” Barry, alias, Espartero’s horse, didn’t blink. “But how do we measure ‘mostly’? 85%? 92%? Is the landscaping included? What if the lightbulbs are missing?” The client’s lawyer… let’s say that her name was Helen—an expert with 25 years in construction law and a collection of hard hats to prove it—sighed: “Barry, it's not a surgery. It’s a road. If the trucks can drive on it, it’s done.” Barry, without missing a beat, opened his laptop and projected a 14-slide presentation titled: “The Philosophical Ambiguities of Substantial Completion: A Risk-Based Analysis.” One hour later… Yes… one hour later… The contractor fell asleep with a sandwich in his hand. The engineer left the room muttering something about opening a bakery. And Barry? Barry was promoted to senior associate. Because, apparently, the ability to turn a 3-week delay into a 3-month negotiation is exactly what a law firm charges $800/hour for. If you think that this is absourd. If you think that this does not make sense to you. You need to click below. The substantial completion risk is one of the key lessons that you’ll find below.
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Vicente Valencia
I talk about Personal Growth, Management, Infrastructure and More | C-Suite Executive | Mentor, Coach, Strategic Consultant | Real Estate Investor | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
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