ABSTRACT
Minutes of meetings are usually written by the other party, for example, the Contractor, and will be slanted, cleverly or otherwise, in their favour. This 'slanting' ranges from the omission of important statements made by specialist subcontractors during the meeting to the more subtle black art of using just the right words. In order to be streetwise specialist subcontractors must check all minutes immediately they receive them, and immediately write back asking to have them corrected with any points of omission and/or disagreement. These corrections must then be included in the minutes of the next meeting, as the very first item. The streetwise subbie must state his opinion clearly and ensure that it goes into the minutes as stated. If the contractor disagrees, that is a separate matter, and ideally the facts can be established and these can then be minuted.
