Under NEC3 Option B contract, Practical Completion has been certified.
There is a dispute over the valuation of the final account but in order to avoid a “smash and grab” adjudication, the PM is still issuing payment certificates.
Is this necessary after practical completion ?
It is not necessary providing the Contractor is not submitting applications.
If the Contractor is submitting applications with the disputed sums in it, then the Project Manager would need to respond with his or her own assessment, striking out the disputed sums and stating why. If he or she does not do this, then the Client could be required to pay on procedural issues, regardless of whether those sums are right or wrong.
However, if the Contractor is not submitting an application and there is no change in the amount due, then there is no necessity to make a valuation.