Planner answers
What is concurrent delay in construction?
Short answer: Concurrent delay is when an employer delay and a contractor delay both affect the critical path at the same time. Under the SCL Delay and Disruption Protocol approach, the contractor usually gets an extension of time for the concurrent period but not the costs.
True concurrency needs two effective causes, each of which would on its own have delayed completion, occurring in the same period. Often what looks concurrent is sequential, or one delay has float and is not critical.
- Time: under the SCL Protocol (2nd edition) the contractor generally receives an EOT for concurrent periods, so the employer cannot apply delay damages for them.
- Money: the contractor generally recovers prolongation costs only for periods where the employer delay is the sole cause.
- Contracts and local law can change this - always read the contract.
A windows analysis shows window by window which events were critical, which is the evidence needed to argue - or rebut - concurrency.