ArtBuild template ArtBuild guide · All of Canada
Prompt payment and adjudication review guide
Prepare for prompt-payment and adjudication rules where they apply.
- Version
- 2026.1
- Last updated
- October 24, 2026
Prepared by ArtBuild to help you organise your paperwork. It is general information, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Check the rules for your province or territory before you act.
Part of the Pay-When-Paid Protection Kit: start with its guide, and download the whole kit there.
Identify the applicable process before choosing a date
Use this guide to prepare a review when an upstream-payment explanation may interact with a prompt-payment regime. Identify project location, owner, contract date, parties and work type first. Federal, provincial and public-works rules are not interchangeable.
- Get the applicable statute regulations and transition provisions.
- Check whether the parties and work fall within the regime.
- Identify what qualifies as the relevant invoice and evidence of receipt.
- Record actual non-payment notices, reasons and delivery evidence.
- Keep contractual timing and statutory timing as separate questions.
- Ask a qualified reviewer to confirm deadlines rather than inserting default periods.
The linked federal and Alberta sources describe particular regimes. This guide imports no statutory time period and does not decide whether an upstream clause is displaced.
Prepare an adjudication suitability review
| Question | Documents for reviewer | Decision still needed |
|---|---|---|
| What is disputed? | Invoice scope valuation and reasons | [enter] |
| Is the process available? | Project facts contract and legislation | [ask your adviser] |
| Which notice and recipient? | Contract addresses and current rules | [ask your adviser] |
| What evidence supports amount? | Ledger performance and instructions | [enter] |
| What other proceeding exists? | Court arbitration or insolvency records | [ask your adviser] |
Fictional distinction
The owner has reportedly paid a partial application, while the subcontractor disputes an unrelated deduction. Record both issues. An arithmetic balance does not answer whether the dispute can be adjudicated or what notice is required.
- Use current official forms only if the reviewer confirms their application.
- Preserve all versions served and receipt evidence.
- Record any separate lien or enforcement step; do not assume adjudication covers it.
- Do not suspend work because a review has been requested.
- Reviewer jurisdiction and source version
- Confirmed next step and owner
- Unresolved procedural issue
This is preparation guidance, not filing instructions.
Before you act: this document is general information prepared by ArtBuild to help you organise facts and paperwork. It is not legal advice and has not been reviewed by a lawyer for your situation. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time. Check the official source for your project, and for deadlines, liens, court or insolvency steps, speak with a lawyer licensed where the project is located.