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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Contracts and Payments

Retention

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/rɪˈtenʃən/nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, retention means: A percentage, often around 5%, held back from each payment to the contractor and released later as security that defects will be put right.

In Turkish: teminat kesintisi, hakediş kesintisi

How it is used

Retention is deducted, held and released, often half at completion and half at the end of the defects liability period. Main contractors also hold retention on their subcontractors' payments.

Example sentences

  1. Retention of 5% is deducted from every progress payment.

  2. The second half of the retention will be released after the defects period.

Common collocations

  • retention money
  • release retention
  • retention percentage
  • retention bond
  • progress paymentA payment made to the contractor during the project, usually every month, for the value of work completed so far, minus retention and earlier payments.
  • defects liability periodA set period after completion, often 12 months, during which the contractor must come back and repair any defects in the work at its own cost.
  • handoverThe stage when the contractor formally passes the completed works, keys, documents and responsibility to the client.
  • snag listA list of small defects and unfinished items, such as scratched paint or missing sealant, that the contractor must fix before or soon after handover.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Contracts and Payments

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