Electical Contractor

A number of years ago, I hired a carpentry company to work on my house. At completion, the company’s president came over with his final invoice. I told him that the invoice was wrong. His crews had neglected to note extra trim I had ordered and extra work I had requested on some windows.

At the recent Power Quality World Conference, I chaired a session on “Specifying and Purchasing PQ Equipment.” Afterward, I met one of the presenters from an electric utility who said he planned to bring his lawyer with him to the session the next day.

When considering the various financial institutions we personally deal with each day, such as banks and investment corporations, we immediately think of how much security is involved to protect the financial assets held in, or controlled by the institution.

We all make mistakes. Often, there are no ramifications and the error in judgment can be resolved with an excuse or apology. In contract law, mistakes have a deeper meaning, and the results can be harsh. The law characterizes mistakes and places them into categories.

As was pointed out in last month’s column, when an electrical contractor expands to a new area of work such as school construction, a new set of parameters enters the estimating picture. Perusal of the specifications becomes a lesson in caution.

This is the first of two parts about installing emergency, legally required and/or optional standby systems. This first part will cover the basics of the three systems and the second part will cover requirements for transfer equipment.

Perhaps the most prominent issue in the retail and systems industries is balancing security versus privacy. The debate can get quite heated, sometimes even emotional.

Whether to arbitrate is not normally a question. If your contract has a written arbitration clause, you must arbitrate. If not, you can pursue your claims in court. So, what do you need to know about the process? Congress passed the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) in 1925.

If you missed it, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) TR 42 committee meetings were held in early June. It’s time to pay attention, since many of their decisions can affect the contractor, as you’ll see below.