BR Piling Pte Ltd was contracted to install bored piles and construct a basement carpark for a 13-storey building in Singapore. The piling contractor completed the works and handed the site to the architect by the stipulated deadline. The architect was engaged by the owner and was responsible for the design and supervision of works for the entire project. Two weeks later, the project's superstructure work was awarded to another contractor, KC Contractors at a lump sum price of $25 million using the SIA Lump Sum contract (9th Edition). The contract duration is 12 months commencing from 1st Jan 2020.

Q) During the tender period, KC Contractors decided not to purchase a specific type of glass for the project's cladding work because there was no place to store the material and it would not be needed until months later after construction had progressed. The contract specified a particular brand for the glass that had to be purchased from a manufacturer in Belgium. The contract also specified that the contractor was entitled to propose alternative types of glass but they must be of equivalent quality. When KC Contractors made the glass ordered from the Belgium manufacturer, the price had risen by 30 percent compared to the tender price. Discuss the actions of the course available to the architect and KC Contractors including the implications.