Define what you will provide and what you will receive
Review the description of the works, the specifications, quantities, exclusions and contract attachments. In construction contracts, clarify who is responsible for providing the site, drawings and materials. In supply contracts, specify what the price covers in terms of transport, installation and testing. Ask for clarification of any wording that allows two different interpretations before approving it.
Understand the handover and acceptance mechanism
Review who has authority to take delivery, how observations are documented, and which document evidences completion or delivery. Discuss whether the approval mechanism is clear and workable, how observations and additional works are handled, and how acceptance relates to payments falling due.
Link payments to clear milestones
Specify the amount of each payment, what is required for it to fall due, and its due date. Review retentions and guarantees and the conditions for their release. Also make sure the treatment of tax and any additional expenses within the agreed consideration is clear, and review the effect of delayed approval on the payment date.
Review change, delay and termination
Discuss how changes to quantities or specifications are approved and their effect on price and duration. Read the clauses on delay, notice, remedy and termination, then test them against the actual circumstances of the project. Determine how change requests are documented, who approves them, and how completed works and dues are handled when the relationship ends.
Read the dispute clause together with the rest of the contract
Review the dispute resolution mechanism, the notice procedure, the evidence provisions and the forum agreed upon for deciding disputes, then present them to the lawyer together with the full contract. The meaning of the clause may be affected by an attachment, a definition or another term; so prepare a complete copy rather than sending a single clause without its context.
This is guidance for preparation and review. Documents and procedures vary depending on the facts, and the legal position is determined after reviewing the file.