Institution Works Contract Form
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments authority issued this official guidance dated 1 January 1959 as a contract form for works carried out for an institution. It sets out contractor security, completion obligations, progress monitoring, measurement, payment and arbitration, but does not transfer or determine ownership of temple land.
What the document governs
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments official guidance dated 1 January 1959 provides a form of agreement between an institution and a contractor engaged to carry out works. The contract incorporates drawings, specifications, probable quantities and the Madras Detailed Standard Specifications.
The form is relevant to trustees, boards of trustees, executive authorities, contractors and officers supervising institution works. A property buyer or owner may find it relevant where construction or other contracted work is being undertaken on institution property, but the form itself does not record a sale, lease or transfer of land.
Main contract terms
The institution works contract form provides that:
- The contractor must complete the works shown in the drawings and specifications, subject to permitted alterations, additions or deductions.
- Payment may be based on a lump sum or on final measurement at unit prices, according to the applicable contract conditions.
- The trustee or board of trustees acts as the executive authority and exercises the powers reserved for the institution, subject to any required previous sanction.
- Time is treated as essential. Work must begin when the site or premises is handed over and must be completed within the period entered in the agreement.
- Progress must follow a programme fixed for the particular work, measured by the percentage of work completed against the contract lump sum.
- The contract conditions and specifications form part of the agreement and bind both parties.
Security and disputes
The institution works contract form allows additional security through cash, Government securities, municipal debentures, a bank deposit, Post Office cash certificates or Defence Savings Certificates. Only the recital matching the security actually deposited should be retained in the signed agreement.
Security, or the portion returnable under the contract conditions, is released after the agreement has been performed to the satisfaction of the executive authority. Arbitration duties are assigned to the Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments who has jurisdiction over the institution.
Measurement and pricing
Schedule A records approximate quantities, descriptions, specification references, rates, units and amounts. Approximate quantities may change through alterations, omissions, deductions or additions. Completed work is measured net according to the actual finished quantities, drawings and directions of the institution's executive authority.
This summary is generated from the source document to help you find what is relevant. The PDF above is authoritative. For advice on your own property, use LandLens One or speak to a qualified professional.
Common questions
Does this document prove ownership of temple land?
No. The document is a form for contracting and supervising institution works. It does not record a sale, lease or transfer of land ownership.
Who acts for the institution under the contract?
The trustee or board of trustees is treated as the executive authority, subject to any previous sanction required for entering into the contract.
When must the contractor start the work?
The contractor must start when the site or premises is handed over. The completion period and required rate of progress are entered for the particular contract.
How are disputes under the contract handled?
The Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments having jurisdiction over the institution performs the arbitration duties specified in the Standard Preliminary Specification.
