Welcome to your daily briefing on construction developments in Rhode Island. Today we're covering 6 key stories including updates on rhode island construction headlines, background & context. Let's dive in.
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Levelset helps thousands of contractors resolve payment problems and streamline their payment processes.
Rhode Island construction professionals face the same payment delays and disputes that plague the industry nationwide.
ConstructConnect is providing quick, comprehensive access to Rhode Island construction projects for bid, including exclusive projects, plans, specs, bidder lists, and project details.
RI construction professionals can streamline their bidding process and discover new commercial opportunities in their market.
RI Builders has published updated guidance on contractor licensing and registration requirements in Rhode Island.
Construction professionals in RI need current licensing information to maintain compliance and avoid project delays or penalties.
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"Substantial completion" is achieved when the owner can occupy the project for its intended use — not when a punch list is finished or a percentage is hit. The status starts warranty clocks, transfers risk of loss, and triggers retention release in most contracts. Disputes over whether SC has been achieved are common at month-end.
Premature certification of substantial completion commits the contractor to warranty coverage on incomplete work; delayed certification gives the owner leverage to extend retention. The legal definition controls, not the status meeting.
Most construction contracts require change orders to be in writing, but many states enforce an "oral modification" exception when the parties' conduct shows agreement — especially when the changed work is performed and accepted without protest. Continued performance without written change orders can waive the writing requirement entirely.
Contractors who do extra work hoping to "true it up later" routinely lose those claims because the conduct shows acceptance of the original scope. A signed change order before the work is the cleanest evidence of agreement.
In most RI jurisdictions, the lien filing deadline runs from last day on the project OR last delivery of materials, whichever is later — but several states use a project-wide cutoff (substantial completion) regardless of when your specific work ended. Counting the wrong start date is the leading cause of waived liens.
A blown lien deadline drops your collateral down to a personal-guaranty claim, which often means recovery cents on the dollar. The window is short — 60 to 120 days in most states.
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