When you work in the construction business, you rely a lot on others to complete a project. As a subcontractor, you work with a lot of suppliers for materials, and at some point, you’re likely to face a problem.
You may end up in a contract dispute with a supplier if:
- A significant delay happens with the supplier delivering materials, causing you to miss an important project deadline.
- The materials the supplier provides have a defect. For instance, you installed tile flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms of a new apartment building. However, after you had three-fourths of the units completed, you noticed a problem: The tile cracked easily, for no apparent reason. Now you need to replace it, incurring more cost for not only new materials but also labor.
- The supplier failed to meet its contractual obligations.
If you and your supplier can’t come to an agreement to compensate you for these problems, you could end up with a material breach of contract. That means your supplier breached the contract in a way that significantly impacted your business.
If you file a lawsuit against the supplier, you most likely will seek damages for the breach of contract and/or cancellation of the contract and restitution for any costs you paid to the supplier.
When working with an attorney to solve a breach of contract, you want to make sure they handle the matter efficiently. You want to reach a resolution quickly if you can, avoiding a long, drawn-out case that heads to court and costs more in time and legal fees. In the end, you want to receive compensation for the damages your supplier cost you and move forward, so you can focus more on your current projects and work.
