Review a subcontract for risky construction clauses
A clause-by-clause review of a subcontract flagging pay-if-paid, indemnity, delay, and flow-down risks, with negotiation asks.
The prompt
Review a construction subcontract for me before I sign.
My role: [SUBCONTRACTOR / SUPPLIER / GC REVIEWING MY OWN FORM]
Project and state: [TYPE, STATE, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE]
Subcontract value and my scope: [AMOUNT, TRADE]
Subcontract text: [PASTE THE SUBCONTRACT, OR KEY SECTIONS]
My concerns or non-negotiables: [e.g. "cannot carry more than 5% retainage", "no liquidated damages"]
Check and explain, in plain English, these construction-specific risks:
- Payment: pay-if-paid vs. pay-when-paid, payment timing, retainage rate and release, prompt-payment rights.
- Flow-down: whether the prime contract is incorporated, and whether I have seen it.
- Indemnity: broad form vs. limited to my negligence; duty to defend.
- Insurance: additional insured requirements, waiver of subrogation, limits vs. what I carry.
- Schedule and delay: liquidated damages flowed down, no-damage-for-delay, acceleration without pay.
- Changes: who can order them, notice deadlines, markup limits, work under protest.
- Backcharges and supplementing my forces: notice and cure periods.
- Termination for convenience and for default.
- Warranty length and start date; consequential damages waiver.
- Disputes: venue, arbitration, whether I am bound by owner-GC dispute outcomes.
- Lien rights waivers buried in the contract.
Return a table: Clause/section, What it says (plain English), Risk level (High/Medium/Low), Why it matters for my trade, Suggested change. Then a prioritized list of my top 5 asks for negotiation and a short email to the GC requesting them.
Note which clauses may be limited or unenforceable in some states, but do not claim a specific statute applies. This is general information; have a construction attorney review before signing.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Legal & Compliance prompts
What to fill in
- SUBCONTRACTOR / SUPPLIER / GC REVIEWING MY OWN FORM
- TYPE, STATE, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE
- AMOUNT, TRADE
- PASTE THE SUBCONTRACT, OR KEY SECTIONS
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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