Definition: A punch list is a document employed in construction jobs to identify a certain number of requirements that need to be fulfilled before the project can be considered entirely completed. It is a written list drafted by the contractor with a set of final specifications that need to be met before the payment can be issued.
What Does Punch List Mean?
When certain construction job is reaching its conclusion, general contractors, following the guidelines of the General Conditions to the Contract for Construction, have to declare to the contractor when the project has achieved a “substantial completion” stage.
In that moment, the general contractor should ask for an inspection of the project by the contractor, who, after performing an evaluation of specifications vs. actual results, should issue what is known as a punch list. This list has a comprehensive set of unfulfilled specifications and tasks that need to be completed before the payment can be issued to the general contractor.
This requirement is listed in Section 9.8.2 of the above-mentioned General Conditions. The list should have a pre-established deadline to avoid delays and each item should be described in detail since it will be the last modifications performed before the project is considered to be fully completed.
Example
Fashion Stores Co. is company with more than 15 outlet facilities located within the state of New York. When they are planning to open a new location they frequently hire a general contractor called Flexi Building LLC. They have performed many construction projects for Fashion Stores in the past and there is a clear procedure after a project is reaching its conclusion.
The Project Manager from Flexi Building has to communicate to the Infrastructure Department of Fashion Stores when the project is achieving its substantial completion. After that, one of the analysts from Fashion Stores will evaluate the design and blueprints to compare them with actual results obtained and he will issue a punch list with all items that still need to be completed in order to finish the project.
