Course overview

Construction Records and Contract Correspondence is a practical writing workshop for people recording events and communicating decisions on construction projects. It focuses on producing useful diaries, notices, instructions, minutes and correspondence that another person can understand and act on.

Participants examine the difference between recording a fact, expressing an opinion, requesting information and issuing a contractual communication. They consider what the reader needs to know, which supporting documents matter and how to make responsibility and the required response clear.

Most of the day is spent reviewing and improving sample project records. Participants rewrite unclear entries, prepare correspondence from a set of project facts and check whether it meets the stated purpose. The workshop develops record-keeping and writing practice; it does not teach the full assessment of contractual claims.

What the course covers

Topics include:

Recording the work and events

Writing specific diary entries with dates, locations and affected activities
Separating observed facts from assumptions and explanations
Connecting photographs, resources and progress records
Preserving corrections and a traceable document history

Preparing contractual communications

Identifying the purpose, recipient and required response
Checking the relevant contract procedure before drafting
Writing clear descriptions of events, instructions and outstanding information
Referring to supporting documents without obscuring the main issue

Recording discussions and decisions

Distinguishing discussion, agreement and instruction in meeting records
Recording actions, owners and required dates
Making unresolved matters and differing accounts clear
Following up with separate contractual communications where required

Reviewing and organising the record

Editing lengthy or ambiguous correspondence
Checking tone, accuracy and unnecessary assertions
Using references and filing arrangements that connect related records
Reviewing whether an uninvolved reader can follow the issue

For establishing the contractual basis and evidence for a claim, see Understanding Contractual Entitlements.

Course delivery

Training is delivered face-to-face, in-house, for organisations in Australia and New Zealand. The course runs over one day, with dates agreed before delivery.

The course can be delivered at entry or experienced level. We agree the level before delivery so that the examples and pace suit the group.

The examples are adapted to the team’s responsibilities and contract procedures. Anonymised sample documents can be agreed in advance; confidential appointment details are not needed. Entry and experienced sessions use different levels of complexity.