MT 123/140

Hanger Lane Underpass: lessons to be learned from Department's experience over execution of contract

Date range	1962-1972
Location	National Archives (see all files stored here)
Catalogue	See entry
File base	Series MT, subseries MT 123

Context

Here's an interesting one. The gist is that on 9 September 1958 the MOT let a contract to AE Farr Ltd. to build the underpass on the A40 at Hanger Lane. There was then a dispute because Farr were paid for excavating the exact volume of material needed to make a space for the underpass, but were not paid for additional excavation around the outside of that for "working space" - room, presumably, to get in and build the walls and so on.

Farr ended up claiming £123k more than they had been paid and the matter went to arbitration in 1962. The arbitrator found that the contractors hadn't needed to do nearly as much digging as they did, but they did need to do some of it, and actually awarded them £172k plus interest. The judgement was awarded in the House of Lords.

The point of the file is that the MOT felt there were lessons to be learned. Consultants had been hired to prepare the scheme and they left the contract documents full of provisional sums and other loopholes. The Ministry decided they had to be careful who they got to draw up their contracts, who they let their contracts to, and how much scrutiny they had over the accuracy of everything that went on.

There is no specific information here about the junction itself.

People with camera copies

None known.