Seven Rivers

What Could Go Wrong..?

Picture this.

A project management meeting begins. No one makes eye contact. Every agenda item is debated. Every clarification is sent back for “formal instruction”.

Teams stop sharing information unless they have to.

Everyone is protecting themselves, not the project.

Yet the project still moves forward. Why? Because the contract is strong enough to carry it. But at what cost?

When trust drops, even the best-written contracts can only hold the structure together. Delivery becomes slow, transactional and defensive. Decisions take longer, collaboration disappears, and the relationship erodes with every notice issued.

The lesson is clear: strong contracts can keep a project alive, but trust is what allows it to perform.

This is exactly why we run our NZS 3910 training — to give project teams the tools to balance trust with proper contract administration. Ready to strengthen your team? Get in touch today!

https://sevenrivers.co.nz/nzs-3910-2023/

There is one misunderstanding in NZS 3910 that continues to cause unnecessary disputes, delays and frustration across our industry.

It is the belief that a variation claim is a single step. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁.

Under NZS 3910, the process is always:
Entitlement 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁
Valuation 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱

In simple terms, the question is not “how much is it worth?” but “is there entitlement in the first place?”

Many project teams merge these two conversations, and this is where problems begin. Engineers argue valuation while the contractor is still establishing entitlement. Contractors submit cost-loaded claims before the basis for entitlement is confirmed. Both sides talk past each other, and trust erodes quickly.

When we separate the steps, everything becomes clearer and both parties work from the same foundation before discussing cost.

This is why we teach the entitlement-first principle in every NZS 3910 training session. It is the cornerstone of good contract administration, and one of the simplest ways to reduce conflict across a project.

If your team is dealing with variation fatigue, unclear processes or recurring disputes, let's book in a conversation and see how we can support capability on your next project.

We were fortunate enough to attend a range of great industry events last year, but Future Roads 2025 was a fantastic one to finish the year with.

Over two November days in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, the conversations were honest, future focused, and centred on what really matters for our sector. Safer networks. Better capability. Stronger commercial practice. And the shared responsibility we all hold to deliver for our communities.

As sponsors, we valued the opportunity to contribute to these discussions and to spend time with people who care about lifting standards across Aotearoa. The round table sessions created space for genuine dialogue, and it was encouraging to see leaders openly discussing the realities of working under pressure, especially when it comes to contract administration and project resilience.

Seven Rivers remains committed to supporting the sector through training, client representation, and practical guidance that lifts confidence on site and strengthens outcomes for communities.

We look forward to continuing these conversations in 2026!

Most project disputes are not about effort, but about clarity.

Under NZS 3910 there are 26 separate clauses where the contract says an event “shall be treated as a variation.”

Each one creates entitlement to cost and, depending on the circumstances, time. Yet many teams still miss them, or only recognise them when it is too late.

That is why we created our 'Shall Be Treated as a Variation' booklet. It sets out all 26 clauses, each with a plain language example of what they look like on site.

Each week we are sharing one clause to help your site teams, engineers and principals recognise entitlements when they happen – and avoid unnecessary conflict.

Clarity is not just about the contract. It is about giving your team the tools to have conversations with confidence.

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𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚: https://sevenrivers.co.nz/product/contractual-variations-booklet

𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙, 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙞-𝙫𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩, 𝙨𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚. 𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡-𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩.