What happens if the owner does not send a payment response?
The claimant can proceed to adjudication once the 7-day dispute settlement period ends. In adjudication, the respondent generally cannot raise objections that were not included in a payment response, so a respondent who sends nothing may have almost nothing to argue. If the respondent provides neither a payment response nor an adjudication response, the adjudicator must decide within 7 days instead of 14.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Security of Payment Act (SOPA) Singapore: Progress Payments and Adjudication for Owners and Contractors. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Singapore's Security of Payment Act gives anyone who does construction work or supplies goods or services under a written contract a statutory right to progress payment. The claimant serves a payment claim; the respondent must reply with a payment response within the contract period (maximum 21 days) or 14 days; unresolved disputes go to fast adjudication at the Singapore Mediation Centre, enforceable as a court judgment.
More questions on this topic
- Does SOPA apply to my renovation or fit-out contract?
- How long does SOPA adjudication take?
- How much does adjudication cost?
- Can a contract avoid SOPA or use a pay-when-paid clause?
- Can the contractor stop work if it is not paid?
- Can an owner challenge an adjudication determination?
- Is a WhatsApp or email agreement a written contract for SOPA?