The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Performance of National Contracts in the Construction Sector

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global test for all national economies. The impact of the sanitary crisis is also found in the field of constructions, strongly affected by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Most works in the field of construction are performed on the basis of contracts, which follow the model of National Contracts, approved by GD1/2018. The paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on how the various clauses of National Contracts, such as clause 66 (referring to Force Majeure), clause 22 (which mentions the Contractor's obligation to ensure occupational health and safety on site), clause 68 (relating to the risks of the beneficiary), clause 17 (program of works) and other clauses must be applied. The paper presents a series of scenarios for the application of the clauses in the National Contracts to allow the management of the risks created by the health crisis on the execution of the works.