NEC ECC: Normal Place of Work

NEC3 and NEC4 Contracts SOCC SSOCC
1

in an NEC3 ECC contract does a designer whose normal place of work is outside the working area apply for their costs whilst inside the working area?

there is, in SCC1, a statement about staff whose normal place of work is not the working area but is paid for whilst in the working area. Also SCC 63 states they can have the costs for travelling to and from the working area but no mention of while they are in the working area.

There is a debate internally on which overhead applies when a designer (whose normal place of work is not the working area) is in the working area. I am of the view that it should be the WAO because it states in SCC 44 that the WAO is to be applied to components 11, 12, 13 & 14. Also that the DO is for design work done outside the working area only. Others believe that it is the DO because their normal place of work is not the working area.

I can empathise with their view because if a designer is away from his desk for a day or 2 then the cost of running the equipment does not go away.

2

I sympathise with the points made here, but think the contract is clear on this, for the reasons you give.

I.e. Under the second bullet point of People in the Schedule of Cost Components, if their normal place of working is not in the Working Areas, but they are working in the WAs then they are counted as people, so costs are built up in accordance with this clause and the Working Area overheads is applied, whilst …

… Design 6 clearly states it only applies outside the Working Areas.