Regarding "Eat your heart out, J-Lo" by Luke Wessley (31 October, page 35): With certain contractors or subcontractors a pre-nuptial agreement is a must 鈥� but there is a way round this.
Prepare a contract that is sent out with the tender enquiry for immediate signature upon appointment, avoiding endless amendments and additional costs. No pre-nuptial agreement would be required and the contract can start off on the right footing.

There is only one thing about which I agree with Mr Wessely, and that is that contracts should be uncomplicated and do what they say. This is all well and good, if there is trust 鈥� unfortunately a lot of trust has been lost in the industry.

The biggest problem is to get work carried out in accordance with the specification, contract and programme in the first place. Everybody would then be happy so please get it right first time. Then we can all make money 鈥� as that is the reason we are all in business.

The only way to resolve our differences is for clients, contractors and subcontractors to get their act together; architects and quantity surveyors have also got to buy into this. But there seems little likelihood of that happening in the near future. There are too many vested interests.

Postscript

Peter Whitbread, via email.