11/05/2026
Wednesday Wisdom: Contingency works best when the rules are written before the problems show up.
A contingency provision should do more than establish a percentage.
It should answer the questions that will matter later:
What costs are eligible?
What costs are specifically excluded?
Does use require owner approval, notice, or a defined threshold?
What supporting documentation is required?
How will the balance be reported each month?
What happens to unused contingency at project closeout?
Without those answers, contingency can become a catch-all account for costs that were never clearly allocated.
With them, it becomes a structured way to manage uncertainty while preserving visibility and accountability.
The goal is not to eliminate flexibility. It is to make sure everyone understands the rules before the money starts moving.