Glossary

Construction defect glossary

The words a defect register runs on, defined once each: what the term means, which countries and contracts use it, what it looks like on site, and how the record holds it. The same item is a defect in Melbourne, a snag in Manchester and a punch item in Minneapolis.

DefectA defect is finished or part-finished work that does not meet the contract, the drawings, the specification or an accepted standard of workmanship. It is distinct from incomplete work, which has not been done yet, and from damage caused after handover.

Snag and snag listA snag is a minor defect or unfinished detail found at or near completion, and a snag list is the list of them walked up before handover. Snagging is the act of walking the building to find them.

Punch list and punch itemA punch list is the list of items that must be completed or corrected before a project, or a phase of it, is accepted as complete and final payment is released. Each entry is a punch item.

DeficiencyA deficiency is work that falls short of what the contract documents, the drawings or the applicable code require. A deficiency list, or deficiency report, is the list of them issued after an inspection.

Non-conformance (NCR)A non-conformance is a departure from a stated requirement: a specification clause, a drawing note, a work instruction, a standard. A non-conformance report (NCR) records it, contains it, gives it a disposition and a corrective action, and verifies both before it closes.

Defects liability period (DLP)The defects liability period is the period after practical completion, commonly twelve months, during which the contractor must return to rectify defects in their work that the owner notifies. Part of the retention is usually held until it ends.

Practical completion (PC)Practical completion is the stage at which the works are complete and fit for their intended use except for minor defects or omissions that do not prevent occupation. It is certified under the contract and starts the defects liability period.

Hold pointA hold point is a defined step in an inspection and test plan beyond which work must not proceed until a nominated party has inspected it and released the hold. A witness point is the weaker version: the party is notified and may attend, but work proceeds whether or not they do.

Inspection and test plan (ITP)An inspection and test plan is the document that lists, for one activity, each inspection or test to be done, the acceptance criterion and the standard it comes from, the record to be kept, and which party holds a hold point or a witness point at each step.

RetentionRetention is a percentage of each progress payment withheld by the principal or head contractor as security that the work will be completed and defects rectified. Typically half is released at practical completion and the remainder at the end of the defects liability period.

VariationA variation is a change to the scope of work set out in the contract, whether an addition, an omission or a change in how something is to be done, usually with an adjustment to the price and the programme.

BackchargeA backcharge is a cost incurred by one party, usually the head contractor, in rectifying another party’s defective or incomplete work, which is then charged back to the party responsible, typically by deduction from their payment.

RectificationRectification is the work of fixing a defect so that it meets the contract, the drawings and the specification. A rectification notice tells the responsible party what to fix and by when; a rectification period is the time allowed.

Sign-offSign-off is the recorded acceptance, by a person with authority to give it, that a piece of work, an inspection or a defect’s rectification is complete and to the required standard. It is a different claim from the trade’s own statement that the work is finished.

Incomplete worksIncomplete works are items of the contracted scope that have not yet been done or finished, as distinct from defects, which are items that have been done but do not meet the required standard.

Whichever word your job uses, the record underneath is the same one: the construction defect management software page walks through it from capture to handover, and the docs are where each definition’s “on the record” paragraph comes from.