force majeure

Force Majeure in Construction Contracts: What Counts, What Doesn't, and What Relief It Actually Provides

Force majeure clauses excuse contract performance during events beyond a party's reasonable control — acts of God, war, pandemics, government shutdowns. But what counts as force majeure, what relief it provides (time extension only, or cost recovery too), and how it interacts with other delay categories is contract-specific and often misunderstood. A working knowledge of force majeure prevents both over-claiming (asserting FM for events that don't qualify) and under-claiming (missing legitimate FM opportunities).