Subcontractor Delay Notice Template
A ready-to-use delay notice template for issuing to subcontractors. Establishes the cause of delay and your right to recover costs at final account.
Delay Notice
Word Document
Free to download and use
Template Contents
What this template includes
Structured to capture all the information needed to formally establish a delay event, notify the subcontractor and protect your entitlement to recover associated costs.
Download Template- Project and subcontract reference section covering package description and subcontract sum
- Description of the delay event with date of occurrence and date first notified
- Cause of delay field distinguishing between subcontractor default and employer risk events
- Period of delay claimed with effect on programme and sectional completion dates
- Statement of intent to recover associated costs and preliminaries
- Issued-by and served-to fields with date and notice reference number
Construction Basics
What is a subcontractor delay notice?
A subcontractor delay notice is a formal written notice issued by a main contractor when a subcontractor's works are delayed, setting out the cause of the delay and the main contractor's intent to recover any associated costs.
Delay notices serve two purposes. First, they place the subcontractor on formal notice that the delay has been identified and attributed to them. Second, they establish the contemporaneous record that supports a claim for prolongation costs, loss of productivity or additional preliminaries at final account.
Most subcontracts include provisions requiring notice to be given within a defined period of a delay event occurring. Failure to serve notice in time can affect the main contractor's entitlement to recover costs, even where the subcontractor was clearly responsible for the delay.
Where a delay is caused by an employer risk event rather than subcontractor default, the notice also forms part of the main contractor's own claim for an extension of time and additional cost upstream.
Use Cases
When to use this template
Main contractors notifying subcontractors of delays they have caused
When a subcontractor's default delays works, a formal written notice establishes the cause and your entitlement to recover delay costs. Verbal instructions and emails do not provide the same protection.
Commercial teams managing delay claims and cost recovery
A notice served at the time of the delay event is significantly stronger than one raised months later at final account. Timely notices make it much harder for a subcontractor to dispute the cause.
QS teams building a paper trail for final account
Delay cost recovery at final account depends on being able to demonstrate that the cause was formally established and notified at the time. A consistent notice format builds that record systematically.
The Limits of Manual Processes
The problem with managing delay notices manually
This template works well for individual delay events. Across multiple packages on a live project, manual notice management creates real risk.
Informal notices carry no contractual weight
A WhatsApp message or passing comment on site does not constitute a formal delay notice. Without a written notice in the correct form, your entitlement to recover delay costs is significantly weakened.
Cause of delay never formally established
Disputes about delay almost always come down to who caused it. If the cause was never formally recorded and notified at the time, both parties are arguing from memory at final account rather than from a contemporaneous record.
Notices raised too late
Delay notices raised months after the event are easy to challenge. Subcontracts often include notice provisions that affect entitlement to recovery if notice is not given promptly. Late notices create disputes that early notices would have avoided.
StoneRise Commercial
How StoneRise manages delay notices and cost recovery
StoneRise Commercial gives your commercial team a structured workflow for issuing and tracking all contractual notices, including delay notices, against every subcontract package.
Every notice is issued through a defined process, logged against the package and timestamped. Delay events feed directly into the cost recovery workflow so nothing falls through the gaps at final account.
When a dispute reaches adjudication, the complete notice history is available instantly with full audit trail.
Structured notice workflow
Every delay notice issued through a defined process with required fields. No informal emails, no missing information.
Notice log per package
All notices issued on a package visible in one place. No hunting through email threads to reconstruct events.
Linked cost recovery
Delay events feed directly into the commercial cost report so recovery claims are built as the project progresses.
Free Download
Download the Subcontractor Delay Notice Template
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- Word format, ready to use immediately
- Covers cause of delay, period and cost recovery intent
- Works for main contractors managing subcontract packages
Subcontractor Delay Notice Template
Free Word download