FIDIC glossary · Documents
Programme
Programme
In short
The detailed execution schedule submitted by the Contractor; the basis for time control (Sub-Clause 8.3).
What is a Programme?
The Programme is the document showing how and in what sequence the Contractor intends to execute the Works. It is submitted at the start (usually within 28 days of the Commencement Date) and updated as the project runs.
The Programme is often treated as reporting paperwork. That is the mistake that costs most at the first serious claim. The Programme is the **evidential basis** for any extension of time: without it you cannot show that the delayed activity was on the critical path, and so cannot substantiate an EOT.
The contract asks for more than a bar chart: the sequence of work, review and approval periods, dependencies, resources, and a supporting report describing the methods. It has to be updated when actual progress stops matching the plan — not quarterly out of habit.
On status: the Engineer may comment on the Programme or note that it does not comply with the contract, but silence is not approval. The Programme does not turn interim dates into contractual obligations — the Time for Completion is the binding date. That protects the Contractor from claims for falling behind its own plan, but does not remove the duty to maintain it.
Practical rule: a programme reconstructed after the fact to support a claim is easy to spot and undermines the credibility of the whole claim.
Related terms
Need this read against your own contract?
This explains how the mechanism works in the standard form. How it works in your contract, after the Particular Conditions, is a separate question.
Talk to an expert →A reference explanation of the FIDIC standard conditions. Not legal advice, and not a reproduction of the FIDIC books.