What is the deadline for adjudicator decision?
Under the Scheme, an adjudicator must normally reach a decision no later than 28 days after receiving the referral notice. The period becomes 42 days if the referring party consents, and can be longer if the parties agree after notice of adjudication.
Read the rule checklist
This page explains the cited rule. It does not generate an automated date. Check the trigger, service facts, time-counting treatment and any order before you use the period in your diary.
- Start point
- Receipt of the referral notice by the adjudicator
- Stated period
- 28 days by default; 42 days with referring-party consent; longer by later party agreement
Worked source check
- Example input
- 03/08/2026
- Expected result
- No automated date. Confirm every valid extension before using the 28-day Scheme default.
The adjudicator received the referral notice, but the parties may have agreed an extension after notice of adjudication.
The guide explains the 28-day, 42-day and later-agreement routes without replacing the agreed timetable.
What this source guide covers
- Period
- 28 days by default; 42 days with referring-party consent; longer by later party agreement
- Trigger
- Receipt of the referral notice by the adjudicator
- Direction
- Forward from receipt of the referral notice
- Counting method
- The statutory default runs from receipt of the referral notice. The 28-day calculator path is useful only where no valid extension has been agreed.
Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, section 116 excludes Christmas Day, Good Friday and the relevant bank holidays from the statutory day count.
Scheme for Construction Contracts, paragraph 19. Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998, paragraph 19. Scheme for Construction Contracts, paragraph 19 checked 07/08/2026
Exceptions and matter facts
- This is the Scheme default. Check the adjudication provisions of the contract and every consent or agreement extending time.
- A failure to decide in time has the consequences set out in paragraph 19(2); it does not turn the original date into a safe assumption.
Deadline Engine is calculation software, not legal advice. Check the current rule, any order and the facts before adding a date to your diary.