COVID-19给建筑业带来了新的法律问题

从事建筑相关活动的企业, 无论是公共项目还是私人项目, 包括业主, 承包商, 分包商, 材料供应商, 以及付款担保和履约担保, can expect that there will be new and challenging legal problems resulting from the impact of the Coronavirus.  虽然某些类型的项目被认为是必不可少的, 其他人则没有, 导致工作停工和员工裁员.  甚至在重要的项目上也是如此, new rules regarding social distancing and other requirements to protect the health of workers may result in the loss of efficiency with an increase in labor costs and a delay in job progress.  由于疾病导致的关键人员的损失可能导致项目问题的增加.  新项目的减少, 或者推迟新项目的启动, 能否对那些需要新业务才能生存的公司产生重大的财务影响.

这篇短文的目的不是, however, to deal, 在一般情况下, 以及2019冠状病毒病对建筑业的经济影响, but to highlight some of the legal issues that may arise as parties to a construction contract seek to meet their contact obligations, 或者对那些没有履行义务的人寻求他们的合同救济.  Although this article principally deals with legal issues concerning contracts relating to construction, 所讨论的一些内容也可能适用于其他类型的合同, 特别是在与政府机构和机构签订合同方面.

Generally, a contracting party must look to the plain language of the contract to determine its obligations and rights, 包括在处理与covid -19相关问题时可能出现的问题.  因为不同州的法律会有所不同, my remarks will be based on Virginia law or federal law in the case of construction contracts or where the courts in Virginia have followed federal law.

Federal contracts have standard terms and conditions prescribed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)[1].  与弗吉尼亚联邦签订合同, 或其他州级公共机构, 有标准的一般条件[2] and standard terms and conditions for VDOT contracts contained in VDOT’s Road and Bridge Specifications. However, 与各县签订合同的条款和条件, 城市和其他地方公共机构可以有所不同.  在私人建筑中, while there are widely used standard forms of agreement promulgated by the American Institute of Architects (AIA)[3] 以及其他组织, 私人建筑合同, 特别是分包合同的条款和条件差别很大.

出于这个原因, 一方面临与新冠肺炎有关的问题, 应该仔细审查他们的合同，看看它是否可以提供一个解决问题的办法.  有些合同包含，例如，a 不可抗力 provision, which allows a party to avoid being held responsible for breaching a contract when the breach is caused by unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.  如果合同中包含 不可抗力 规定可以将流行病列为此类事件.  如果没有，COVID-19是否被覆盖 不可抗力 条款是法院可能必须解决的潜在问题, 目前还无法预测结果.[4]

合同法关于合同一方义务的一般法律, and any analysis of whether COVID-19 provides any relief from a party’s obligations under its contract or affects a party’s remedies, 应该从美国最高法院所说的话开始:

一方当事人以可能履行的义务承担责任, 他必须遵守它，除非上帝的行动使他无法履行, the law, 或者另一方.  无法预见的困难不能成为业绩的借口. Where the parties have made no provision for a dispensation, the terms of the contract must prevail.[5]

Whether a court will excuse a party from meeting its obligations under a contract where performance becomes much more difficult or much more expensive, 但并非不可能, 因为COVID-19大流行的影响仍有待观察.  But, 正如最高法院所警告的那样, 当事人未约定豁免的, "必须以合同条款为准.”

Some experts are predicting that the COVID-19 pandemic will dramatically increase the number of claims and disputes on construction projects.  The resolution of these new types of claims is going to present new challenges and issues to contracting parties and their attorneys.  Yet, 根据现行法律, judges and arbitrators will still most likely first look to the terms of the parties‘ agreement for guidance in resolving C0VID-19 related claims and disputes in addition to any new federal and state legislation or regulations enacted to provide relief from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis.

虽然不可能在本文中提及所有类型的索赔或争议, 这可能会对COVID-19产生影响, 一般来说，这种索赔可能是由于延误造成的, 中断和关闭项目, 默认值和终止, 违约金, 未支付已完成工作的费用, 债券索赔的履行和支付, 以及其他违反合同的索赔.

即使这些事件都没有发生, parties to construction contracts should begin reviewing their existing agreements to ensure they contain provisions which:

1. Require written notice to the other party to the contract of any event or occurrence which may increase the cost or time required for performance.
2. Describe conditions under which a party can be relieved from its duty to continue performance and/or terminate the contract, i.e. a 不可抗力 供应类型
3. 为延误提供额外补偿和延长时间, 对于工作停工, 或者暂停工作.
4. Give the owner or other contracting party the right to terminate the contract for convenience and describe what can be claimed as termination costs.
5. 为履约和付款保函项下的任何索赔提供通知要求.
6. 为工作逾期完成提供违约金.
7. 涉及付款和一方扣留付款的权利.
8. 规定纠纷和索赔必须如何解决, 包括向胜诉方支付律师费的规定.

公共项目或其他需要支付和履行保证金的项目, 它们也应该被审查, 如果可用, 承保范围及任何通知要求.

而《澳门亚洲博彩平台排名》和它的一些条款, 比如工资保障计划, 是否能在一定程度上缓解COVID-19大流行带来的财务影响[6], it does not protect a party from potential liability for claims which may arise as a consequence of COVID-19, 例如未付款分包商和供应商的索赔, 对未报销的人工和材料费用的索赔, 因关闭或推迟工作而损失的利润, 合同因一方违约而终止，因为它不能履行.  Because COVID-19 has created unchartered waters in the fields of construction and public contract law, 我和彭德的同事们 & Coward will be looking ahead for potential solutions to some of the legal problems that 承包商 and other parties might face from the impact of COVID-19 on projects they are involved in.  正如我在这篇文章中建议的那样, I believe that contracting parties should not wait until a problem or issue caused by COVID-19 arises, 或者即使它已经出现了, they should take a hard look at their contracts and consider letting their attorney know about the problem.

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[1] 《亚洲博彩平台排名》中可能涉及COVID-19相关法律问题的条款包括《亚洲博彩平台排名》第52条.其中定义了“可原谅的延迟”，并包含可以被认为是一个 不可抗力 provision  which includes epidemics and quarantine restrictions among the causes of a failure to perform a contract which will be considered to be excusable and will not result in a default by a contractor; FAR 52.242-14. 暂停工作，FAR 52.242-15，停工令，还有FAR 52.242-17, 政府延误工作, which allow the government to suspend or stop the work and provide for an equitable adjustment for any added costs, 但是没有利润, 还有时间来应对政府造成的拖延,

[2] The Virginia Department of General Services has issued a standard set of General Conditions (DGS-30_054(0415)) for use in contracts with the Commonwealth and agencies of the Commonwealth.  In addition to providing strict notice requirements for any claims for added compensation time, 它们包含可原谅的不可补偿延迟的定义, 可原谅的可补偿延迟和不可原谅的不可补偿延迟, 以及业主延误的赔偿/违约金. The also give a contractor the right to stop work or terminate a contract if the work is stopped for 90 days “under an order of any court or other public authority.”

[3]  根据AIA建筑一般条件第14条, AIA文件A201-2017, a contractor may terminate a contract if the work is stopped by an order of a public body for more than 30 days.

[4]  的案例 Penn Va. Oil & Gas Corp. v CNX天然气有限公司., LLC., 2007 U.S, Dist. Lexis 12206 (w. Dist. Va. 2007年)是弗吉尼亚州法院如何审查案件的一个例子 不可抗力 provision to determine if it applies to relieve a party from meeting a contractual obligation. See also 戈登维尔能源公司，L. P. v. 维吉尼亚加热器. & Power Co., 257 Va. 334 (1999).

[5] 哥伦比亚R. Power & Light Co. v. Columbus, 249 U.S. 399, 39 S. Ct. 349, 63 L. Ed. 669(1919)，弗吉尼亚最高法院在 弗吉尼亚西部电力公司.v. 克利夫顿福吉市，125弗吉尼亚州.  469 (1919)

[6] 根据《澳门亚洲博彩平台排名》, a federal government contractor may be entitled to an equitable adjustment in the contract price and time of performance for certain COVID-19 impacts.