Independent superintendent, Principal's representative and contract administrator under AS 4000, AS 4902 and related Australian Standard forms, on club, hospitality, aged care, education, medical and commercial projects in New South Wales and Queensland.
Engaged by owners only. Every instrument issued in writing, on time, with reasons.
A building contract is administered every month whether or not anyone is doing it deliberately. Claims arrive, variations are priced, delay notices land, and each one carries a response period. If the owner's side is silent, the contract answers for it, usually in the builder's favour.
The superintendent is the person the contract names to administer it: assess each progress claim and issue the payment schedule, value and direct variations, determine extensions of time, issue notices, certify practical completion and manage the defects liability period. Under the Australian Standard forms the superintendent is appointed by the owner and must act honestly and fairly when certifying. That is the discipline we bring, and we bring it in writing.
Hunter FPM acts only for owners and operators. We are not engaged by builders, developers or architects, and we do not carry their work. On most engagements Robert Hunter holds both the project manager and superintendent roles, so the board has one accountable person from tender to final certificate.
Clause references are verified against the executed contract and its special conditions on every project. Never from memory, never from the standard form.
Each claim is measured against work done, the contract sum, approved variations and retention, and answered within the period set by the contract and the Security of Payment Act. Missing the period can make the owner liable for the full amount claimed.
Amount certified, reasons for any difference from the amount claimed, and the statutory statement the legislation requires.
Held, released and reduced exactly as the contract provides, with the running balance reported to the board.
Contract sum, variations approved, pending and anticipated, provisional sums, contingency and forecast final cost, updated each claim cycle.
Change is normal on a live venue. What matters is that every change is directed before it is built, priced before it is paid for, and that delay is measured against the programme rather than asserted.
Scope, valuation basis and time effect recorded at direction, so the account never surprises the board.
Cause, notice compliance, critical path effect and concurrency assessed, with the determination and its reasons issued in writing.
Latent conditions, inclement weather, delay, show cause and default notices issued and answered within the time bars the contract sets.
Practical completion starts the defects liability period, releases security and ends liquidated damages. It is the most valuable certificate on the project and it is issued on inspection, not on request.
Inspection, defects schedule, certification, and the handover documentation the owner is entitled to before the builder leaves site.
Defects directed, tracked and closed; commissioning records and warranties captured into the owner's asset register.
Final account agreed, security released, the file closed so that it can be picked up years later and understood.
Progress against programme, cost against budget, claims and variations status, extensions of time, risks and decisions required. Written for directors, not for engineers.
Chaired or attended monthly, minuted, with actions tracked to closure.
Variation, extension of time, notice, RFI and defect registers kept live and reconciled to the cost report.
Every instrument filed with its evidence. If the project ends in a dispute, the file is the case.
A written review of the proposed contract from the owner's side, delivered inside ten business days, with findings ranked by importance, recommended amendments, and the questions to put to the builder before award. Fee quoted on enquiry and agreed before we start.
Despite the challenges of working in an active environment, HFPM coordinated all design disciplines, managed the tender process, and administered the contract to ensure the project was delivered on time and budget.
Superintendent and contract administration references on club, hospitality and commercial projects are available on request. Selected projects are on the home page.
The project manager runs the project for the owner: brief, budget, programme, consultants, decisions. The superintendent is the person named in the building contract who administers it: assessing claims, valuing variations, determining extensions of time, certifying completion. On many owner-side engagements Hunter FPM holds both roles. Under the Australian Standard forms the superintendent is appointed by the owner and must act honestly and fairly when certifying.
The superintendent is appointed and paid by the owner, and acts as the owner's agent for directions. When certifying payment, time and completion the superintendent must act honestly and fairly under the contract. Hunter FPM is engaged only by owners and operators, never by builders, so there is no conflict on the other side of the table.
Yes. We start with a health check of the contract, the claims to date, the variation and extension of time registers and the programme against the owner's rights, with written findings inside ten business days. If the project warrants it, we take over administration from the next claim cycle.
The contract form and special conditions, completeness of the annexure, payment and Security of Payment mechanics, security and retention, liquidated damages, time bars and notice requirements, insurances, the definitions of practical completion and the defects liability period, and design responsibility on design and construct contracts. You receive written findings ranked by importance, recommended amendments, questions to put to the builder, and a call to walk through them. Fee quoted on enquiry.
Under the Security of Payment legislation in New South Wales and Queensland, if the owner does not respond to a payment claim within the statutory period the owner can become liable for the full amount claimed, whether or not the work was done. That is why claim dates and response deadlines are diarised on day one of every engagement.
Yes. Offices in Bundall on the Gold Coast and in North Sydney. Queensland projects run under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld); New South Wales projects under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW).
A 30-minute call with Robert Hunter. We tell you whether the contract or the project warrants independent administration, and what it would involve. No obligation. Robert replies within one business day. If a claim or notice is already running, call rather than wait.