How to write good job aide/contract templates

What is a Job Aide? 

A job aide is a contract template, checklist or form, template, a widget that helps some complete a task. For example, a NEC early warning notice template that prompts the user to fill in an early warning notice with the right information and will help that user do their job better. This helps users imply the knowledge that they gain from our courses and retain the knowledge. Job aide, templates and checklists also act as a good resource to promote courses and our other products and services

To create an effective template, follow the following steps:

Create an engaging template description

Each job aide must include a detailed description explaining what it’s used for, how it helps and the common pitfalls of getting it wrong. The more detail the better. The description with support good search engine optimisation (SEO) and pursue the website visitor to input their email to download the free resource.

It is important to:-

1. Follow good SEO guidelines. These are constantly evolving but SEMrush, Google and MOZ (our content team can help with this):-
   1. https://www.semrush.com/blog/how-to-create-seo-friendly-content-with-semrush/
   2. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/seo-starter-guide
   3. https://moz.com/
2. Include as relevant keywords (clause reference, contract, action verbs/nouns to support SEO. This need to be done is a natural way. A simple formula is = product description, product user case or task it used for, user name /role and benefits of getting it right or pitfalls.
3. Make it role or very specific to the user e.g. If it's an NEC template create a Contractor’s PM's, Supervisors, Subcontractor version.
4. Outline high level benefits or pitfalls of getting the process or task wrong
5. Highlight its free

For example, here is the description for an NEC3 ECC Project Manager’s Notification Template. The course description includes more content than the form itself, as the form is hidden from google.

Use this free downloadable template to help you put together your first Project Manager’s notification of an early warning, compensation event or a Defect under the NEC3 Engineer and Construction Contract (ECC), and make sure you capture the relevant information and right clause references.  

Here are some examples of how you might use this NEC3 ECC pdf template for a Project Manager’s Notification: -

• Notify under clause 13.2 a change of address,
• Notify under clause 13.5 that the extension to the period for reply to a communication has been agreed,
• Notify under clause 14.2 that you are delegating the actions to a named person,
• Notify under clause 14.4 that on behalf of the Employer you are confirming that the Project Manager or Supervisor is replaced with another person,
• Notify under clause 16.4 that the Risk Register has been updated and re-issued,
• Notify under clause 17.1 that the Project Manager has become aware of the following ambiguities/inconsistencies, of which you will be instructed separately how to resolve this issue:
• Notify under clause 18.1 that the Project Manager has become aware of the following matter that would either be illegal or impossible, of which you will instruct them separately on how to resolve this issue,
• Notify under clause 25.2 that the Contractor has not provided the following services and/or other things as stated in the Works Information which has resulted in additional cost to the Employer,
• Notify under clause 25.3 that the Contractor has failed to meet the requirements of the Key Date listed below by the date stated, of which additional cost incurred by the Employer will be assessed and notified separately,
• Notify under clause 27.2 that the Contractor has failed to provide access to work being done to stored Plant and Materials,
• Notify under clause 30.2 that the Project Manager certifies that Completion has been achieved of the following sectional Completion/Completion Date,
• Notify under clause 35.3 that the Project Manager confirms the date which the Employer has taken over all or part of the works,
• Notify under clause 40.6 that the Employer has incurred additional cost due to repeating a test after a defect has been notified,
• Notify under clause 45.1 that the following cost has been incurred by the Employer due to the failure of the Contractor to correct a defect within the defect correction period despite the Contractor haven been given access to,
• Notify under clause 45.2 that the following cost has been assessed as the cost of correcting a Defect as access cannot be provided to the Contractor,
• Notify under clause 50.4 that the following assessment for the amount due to the Contractor has been made for the period,
• Notify under clause 62.5 that the Project Manager agrees/does not agree to an extension to provide a quotation,
• Notify under clause 87.1 that the following insurances are being provided by the Employer,
• Notify under clause 90.1 The Employers wish to terminate the contract,
• Notify under clause Y2.3 of the intent to withhold payment.

 You can download this template as a PDF for free!

The template is appended at the end of this article and you will see it's very similar to the form description.

Choose your words carefully

Templates descriptions should always include concise action verbs and guidance notes if possible. After all, templates are used to instruct people on what to do. Short and direct sentences are most effective.

As seen in the example above, the word “Notify” is an action verb, enabling the user to do what the contract requires. The description provides multiple examples of how it can be used under different contract clauses which again covers a multitude of scenarios.

Design

It is important for each template design to be consistent as possible. Each template should:

• Write in plain English
• Keep the look and feel consistent (our content team will help with look/feel) or check our brand guidelines
• Make sure all material is original content
• Include the Built Intelligence reference and copyright notice (our content team will help with this).

NEC3 ECC Contractor’s Notification Template

 

Project Name:

 

Contract No:

 

Date:

 

issued by the Contractor

 

To: Project Manager/Supervisor

 

Notification No:                                 

 

You are notified that further to clause: [select one of the following clauses 13.2, 17.1, 18.1, 40.3, 41.1, 44.2, 61.4, 62.5, 62.6, 64.4, 90.1, 20.4(E/F) or X20.2]:

[here is some suggested wording for the most common notifications]

• 2 of a change in address as follows:
• 1 we have become aware of the following ambiguity/inconsistency:
• 1 we have become aware of the following matter that would either be illegal or impossible:
• 3 that the following test/inspections are to be carried out at the date/time indicated:
• 1 we are issuing for acceptance the test/inspection reports for the items detailed below to allow them to be brought into the Working Area (for items as required within the Works Information)
• 2 we propose not to correct a Defect as detailed below with reduced prices and/or earlier Completion indicated accordingly:
• 4: the Project Manager has not responded to a compensation event notification within the timescales outlined in the contract as detailed below:
• 5 we require an extension to the contractual time to produce a compensation event quotation as detailed below for the following reasons:
• 6 the Project Manager has not responded to a compensation event quotation within the timescales outlined in the contract as detailed below:
• 4 the Project Manager has not made their own assessment of a compensation event quotation within the timescales outlined in the contract as detailed below:
• 1: we wish to terminate the contract for the details listed below
• 4(E/F): the forecast of the total Defined Cost is detailed below
• 2: the performance against Key Performance Indicators as detailed below

 

Details:

 

Distribution: