ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Joint Contracts Tribunal

Imagine you and your friend want to build a really cool treehouse together. In order to do that, you need to have a plan on what the treehouse will look like, what materials you need and how much it will cost.

A joint contracts tribunal (JCT) is like having a plan for building something with your friend, except it's for professionals who are building much bigger things, like big buildings or bridges. A JCT is a set of rules that people use to make sure everyone working on the project knows what they're doing and how much it will cost.

Imagine that you and your friend wrote down all the things you need to do and how much it will cost. Then, you both sign the paper to agree on what you wrote down. That paper is like a JCT because it helps you and your friend work together to build your treehouse without any problems.

When professionals are working on really big projects, like building an entire stadium, they use a JCT contract that has everything written down, like who is responsible for what, when the project will be finished and how much money will be paid. This helps everyone working on the project know exactly what they need to do and when to do it.

Just like you and your friend agreed on the plan for building your treehouse, professionals use a JCT to agree on how to build something big and important.