ACT Subcontract Review: Free Security of Payment Risk Scanner
Upload an ACT subcontract and get a free clause-by-clause risk report in about two minutes, scored against the Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2009 (ACT) and market norms. It flags the payment terms, liquidated damages, time bars, set-off rights and retention that cost subcontractors money, before you sign.
Scan a ACT subcontract freeAustralian Capital Territory payment law: the facts that matter
Statute: Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2009 (ACT)
- The ACT's Act is the Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2009 (ACT).
- A payment schedule is due within 10 business days of a claim; silence makes the full amount payable and restricts the respondent at adjudication.
- Jurisdiction follows the contract, not the border: a distinctive ACT feature that matters for cross-border Canberra-region projects.
- Guidance is published by Access Canberra.
Australian Capital Territory subcontract guides by topic
- Payment termsHow long can a builder take to pay a subcontractor in Australian Capital Territory? →
- Time bars and notice windowsTime bars in Australian Capital Territory subcontracts: what you lose, and when →
- RetentionRetention on Australian Capital Territory subcontracts: what's normal, and what to watch →
- AdjudicationHow adjudication works in Australian Capital Territory →
- Suspending work for non-paymentNot being paid in Australian Capital Territory: when can you lawfully stop work? →
- VariationsVariations on Australian Capital Territory subcontracts: getting changed work paid →
Lawyer or free scan? What a ACT subcontract review has to check, and when you need a lawyer →
Why Australian Capital Territory contracts need their own analysis
Canberra-region work routinely crosses the NSW border, and which state's Act governs follows the contract rather than the site, a trap for subbies who assume the law follows the postcode. The scanner reads the state from your contract itself, the site, the Act it cites and the governing-law clause, rather than asking you.
What every ACT report scores
- Payment terms and SOP Act compliance
- Liquidated damages exposure: rate, and whether there's a cap
- Set-off and back-charge rights
- Time bars on EOT and variation claims
- Termination and suspension
- Indemnity and insurance
The three worst findings come with a recommended negotiating position: specific figures and drafting changes, not just a warning.
Australian Capital Territory subcontract questions, answered
My project is near the ACT/NSW border. Which Act applies?
Jurisdiction follows the contract, not the site's postcode. Check the governing-law clause; that's usually the answer. The scanner reads the state from the contract rather than asking you, and if it can't tell, it says so and lets you re-run it for the right state.
What does the scanner check in an ACT subcontract?
Payment mechanics against the Act's 10-business-day schedule window, liquidated damages and caps, time bars on EOT and variation claims, set-off and back-charge rights, retention, termination and indemnities, each scored against ACT law and the Australian market.
Is the ACT subcontract scanner really free?
Yes. No account, no card, no trial period. Upload a subcontract PDF and the full report appears on screen in about two minutes, with a copy emailed to you and a PDF download. Fair-use limits apply so the tool stays available to everyone.
Is my contract kept confidential?
Yes. Documents are stored privately in Australia, never published, never shared with any other user or any party to your contract, and deleted within 12 months. You can ask for your documents and records to be deleted at any time and it's actioned within 7 days.
Is the report legal advice?
No. It's AI-generated commercial risk analysis: a way to understand your position under Australian Capital Territory law and market norms before you sign or negotiate. For decisions with legal consequences, take the report to a construction lawyer; it makes that conversation faster and cheaper.
Not being paid on a ACT job?
Adjudicate Pro simulates the adjudication under the Security of Payment Act: what an adjudicator would likely award, what would sink the application, and whether to apply. Also free.
Simulate my adjudication freeThe report is AI-generated general information, not legal advice. Documents are confidential, never shared, never published. Built by Mat Kennedy at The Construction Contracts Co.