Contract Triage: Your Contract Review Checklist

The critical first step of contract review is triage: a fast scan to decide whether a contract is worth negotiating in the first place.

Step 1: Read the payment clause first

Pay-if-paid? Retainage percentage? Notice deadlines for payment disputes? If payment is broken, nothing else matters.

Step 2: Find the indemnity

Is it mutual? Does it cover the other party's negligence? Is it insurable under your current policy?

Step 3: Check the schedule and damages

Liquidated damages amount? No-damages-for-delay clause? Owner-controlled float?

Step 4: Review the change order procedure

Notice deadlines, written-only requirements, waiver language for unwritten changes.

Step 5: Confirm dispute resolution and venue

Where do disputes go, in what order, and is the venue economically practical for you?

Step 6: Decide

If two or more of these are deal-breakers, walk away or escalate before investing in negotiation.