Trocon Construction Corp. v. City of New York

Trocon Construction Corp. v. City of New York
2008 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4316 (May 20, 2008)
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York held that an early completion bonus in a construction contract was not barred by a “no damages for delay” clause as it was a bid item of the contract.
The case arose out of a contract between a contractor and the City of New York for the reconstruction of part of Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. The contractor agreed to perform soil borings to locate and determine the size of underground voids believed to be contributing to sidewalk and pavement subsidence and to appropriately remedy the voids. Because the City of New York contemplated that the work on the project would interfere with vehicular and pedestrian traffic, the contract provided for various payment incentives for early completion, including an early completion bonus if work on both sides of the avenue was completed within 30 days. Delays arose principally due to a dispute over the boring operations when unexpected boulders were encountered. The contractor contended that it was not required by the contract specifications to perform borings through boulders, which should be completed using a different boring operation; the City maintained that such borings were included and should be performed using the same operation as provided for in the contract. The dispute was resolved by the Contract Dispute Resolution Board, which found that the contractor was entitled to compensation for the extra work performed. The Board claimed lack of jurisdiction to resolve the contractor’s claim for the incentive bonus for early completion of the work on the west side of the avenue.
Continue Reading New York Appellate Court Holds That No Damages for Delay Clause Does Not Bar Recovery of Early Completion Bonus