Contracts and standards / Commonwealth of Australia

AS 4000-1997 General Conditions of Contract (AS 4000-1997)

conditions of contract, published by Standards Australia, 1997. Commonwealth of Australia.

Read the full text from Standards Australia. This page holds the obligations in it, not the document.

The decent, sensible middle child who everyone respects and nobody actually signs. They sign a different contract wearing its name.

The detail it turns onclause 34.2clause 41.2the special conditionsAS 4000:2025

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3 obligations, clause by clause.

Three obligations, read from the clause text. The register's own caveat is recorded here: unamended AS 4000-1997 has no hard time bar in practice, and principals' amendments are what add one.

Where it is written	The obligation	Window	If missed	Disease
cl 34.2, 34.3, 34.5	Claim an extension of time within 28 days of the delay startingheld in the contract notice register	28 days	the claim is barred	Missed claims
cl 25.2, 25.3	Notify a latent condition as soon as it is foundheld in the contract notice register	none set	the costs cannot be recovered	Missed claims
cl 41.1-41.3	Claim a variation in writing within 28 days of the directionheld in the contract notice register	28 days	damages only	Missed claims

Extension of time, contract by contract: What is an extension of time?, EOT claims, Notice of delay, Late claims.

Every notice in the Australian contract forms: Notices in construction contracts, Variation claims, Time bars, Final payment claim.

Watch AS 4000-1997 on your own jobs.

A clause in the table turns on a fact your jobs already record: a date, a notice, a record kept. Demiton reads that fact from the register and tells the person who signs off before the window shuts. Missing one costs what the If missed column says.

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AS 4000-1997 and AS 2124-1992, on the three obligations that decide most claims.

Both clauses are in the library, so the comparison is the clause text rather than an opinion about it.

On	AS 4000-1997	AS 2124-1992
Extension of time claim	cl 34.2, 34.3, 34.5: within 28 days. The Superintendent has 28 days to decide or the extension is deemed granted.	cl 35.5: within 28 days of the delay starting. Barred if missed, with no deemed grant recorded.
Variation claim	cl 41.1-41.3: particulars within 28 days. cl 41.2 says a missed notice shall neither bar nor invalidate the claim. Damages only.	cl 46.1: written notice within 28 days. Barred outright.
Latent condition notice	cl 25.2, 25.3: notice promptly. 28 days is the cost cut-off, not the notice window.	cl 12.2, 12.4: notice forthwith. No day count stated.
What that means in practice	The softer form unamended, which is why principals amend it. A five business day variation notice or a twenty business day claim window is a special condition, not AS 4000.	The harder form as published. Fewer surprises, less room.

What this page is, and is not.

It is the clause text this library holds for this document, with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the document you signed.

No library of law is complete, and Demiton never says this one is. An obligation the library does not hold, and you did not add, is not protected. You can add your own to any job.

Clauses read from the obligation library, release v22, last checked against the source on 16 September 2026.

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Common questions

What does AS 4000-1997 cl 34.2, 34.3, 34.5 require?

Claim an extension of time within 28 days of the delay starting. Missing it: the claim is barred. The window is 28 days. Demiton watches it against the contract notice register.

What does AS 4000-1997 cl 25.2, 25.3 require?

Notify a latent condition as soon as it is found. Missing it: the costs cannot be recovered. The clause sets no day count. Demiton watches it against the contract notice register.

What does AS 4000-1997 cl 41.1-41.3 require?

Claim a variation in writing within 28 days of the direction. Missing it: damages only. The window is 28 days. Demiton watches it against the contract notice register.

Does Demiton hold every obligation in AS 4000-1997 General Conditions of Contract?