Delay Classification & Claims
Extension of Time (EOT)
An extension of time is additional contract time granted to a contractor, typically in response to an excusable delay, moving the required completion date without necessarily involving additional payment.
Definition
An EOT addresses only the schedule side of a delay claim -- pushing back the contractual completion date, and with it, typically, the point at which liquidated damages would begin to accrue for lateness. Whether an EOT comes bundled with additional compensation depends entirely on whether the underlying delay was compensable, not just excusable; a purely excusable-but-not-compensable delay (a differing site condition under some contract forms, or the concurrent portion of a concurrent-delay period) typically still results in an EOT with no associated payment.
Example
A 20-day owner-directed design change results in a 20-day extension of time, moving the contractual completion date and the start of any liquidated-damages exposure back by the same 20 days.