Contract disputes are a fact of life, especially when dealing with the large dollar values, tight schedules, and complicated projects that seem endemic in public contracts. The disputes may arise from the contractor's belief that it is entitled to more time or more money, or the public entity's belief that what has been completed or deliveres is inexcusably late or does not meet the required quality.

Here are some general guidelines on point. Much of what follows is not unique or new; on the contrary, many of you have thought about these concepts and principles one time or another, but as Saul Bellow wrote, "It is sometimes necessary to repear what we all know."