SECTOR INTELLIGENCE / CONSTRUCTION
Construction debt collection is the most complex sector we operate in. Retention payments, defect allegations, subcontractor chains, performance bonds, adjudication, and the universal contractor excuse: "We are waiting for the client to pay us." We are not waiting for anything.
WHY CONSTRUCTION DEBT IS DIFFERENT
Construction contracts routinely include 5-10% retention held until practical completion or defects liability period expiry. Debtors weaponise retention — withholding 100% while citing a 5% retention right, or extending the defects period indefinitely. Retention is a contractual mechanism, not a collection avoidance tool.
The most common construction excuse: 'There are defects.' Filed conveniently after the final invoice arrives. We assess defect allegations against the contract specifications, snag lists, practical completion certificates, and independent inspection reports. Most 'defects' dissolve under scrutiny.
Main contractor owes subcontractor. Client owes main contractor. Client's funder has stalled. Everyone waits. But the subcontractor's contract is with the main contractor — not the client, not the funder. The chain of excuses does not change the contractual obligation.
In the UK, Australia, and other Commonwealth jurisdictions, the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (UK) provides statutory adjudication — a 28-day binding decision mechanism. It is fast, cheap, and enforceable. Most construction debtors would prefer you did not know about it.
HOW WE HANDLE CONSTRUCTION CASES
We review the contract, payment schedule, variation orders, practical completion certificates, and retention terms before collection. The debtor's excuse must survive contractual analysis.
In jurisdictions with statutory adjudication (UK, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand), we deploy the 28-day fast-track decision process. The adjudicator's decision is binding and enforceable — the debtor pays now and argues later.
When the debtor blames upstream non-payment, we trace the chain. If the main contractor is solvent and contracted to pay, they owe payment regardless of their client's position. We collect from the obligated party.
JURISDICTION FOCUS
Construction debt concentrates where building booms happen. United Kingdom (commercial and residential), UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi mega-projects), Australia (infrastructure and mining), and Germany (industrial construction) are our most active construction jurisdictions. Each has different payment legislation, adjudication frameworks, and enforcement mechanisms — and we operate natively in all four.
DECLASSIFIED | CONSTRUCTION | GB → AE
InterStation's Dubai team filed multi-track: civil claim in Dubai Courts (mainland entity) + formal notice to the DIFC holding company. The practical completion certificate was the decisive evidence. 92% collected in 58 days. The "incomplete works" were a storage cupboard door.
"They withheld $640,000 over a storage cupboard door. We collected $589,000 over a practical completion certificate."
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