When to use it
A contractor requests a progress payment.
Property decision guide
Capital Project Payment Evidence and Milestone Review
Trace a payment request to the executed agreement and the evidence for the condition billed. Progress, acceptance, invoice approval and cash release are distinct steps with different responsibilities.
Find the actual payment condition
Identify the relevant agreement, schedule and amendments. Locate the billed milestone or quantity and the role responsible for confirming it. An invoice percentage is a request to examine rather than an independently verified progress finding.
Distinguish deposits, progress payments and final conditions. Do not import retention, deduction or withholding rights from another project. Their applicability and interpretation depend on the executed terms and appropriate contract advice.
Match progress to acceptance evidence
List the evidence the applicable condition requires: a defined delivery, quantity, appropriate professional assessment, test record or agreed certificate. Use the responsible qualified reviewer for technical conclusions. Photographs or attendance may show activity without satisfying the condition.
Keep partial and disputed states visible. Record unsupported items, evidence owner and resolution route. The checklist does not determine the amount legally payable or a right to delay payment; route those questions to the appropriate reviewer.
Reconcile commitment and release authority
Show base commitment, approved changes, prior requests and payments, current request and remaining exposure. Keep proposed changes separate from approved obligations. Check repeated quantities, invoice identities, credits and reference periods using stable item IDs.
Identify acceptance, invoice-approval and release roles. Verify changed payees through an established independent route and keep bank details restricted. Confirm permitted funding and payment timing. Do not change a progress percentage to fit available funds or conceal a gap.
Link execution to continuing project obligations
After release, connect bank and ledger references to the approved request. Keep remaining tests, documents, defects and continuing obligations in the project register. Payment does not automatically establish operational handover.
Retain unavailable evidence and its consequence in the decision record. The original coordination checklist and federal control reference do not establish project-specific contractual rights, engineering conclusions or compliance.
Hypothetical worked example
A deposit request uses a progress description
A fictional payment request mixes an agreed deposit with unverified physical progress. The evidence question depends on the actual billed condition.
Original fictional example · no completed client assignment or property inspection is represented.
| Record to obtain | Review question or calculation |
|---|---|
| Executed payment schedule | Identify the condition actually billed. Match each invoiced line to the relevant condition: deposit, delivery, accepted progress or another documented milestone. |
| Request and milestone reference | Use the appropriate acceptance owner. For progress evidence, retain the location, date, scope and authorized reviewer so that a photograph is not treated as acceptance by itself. |
| Approval and funding basis | Keep progress and release evidence distinct. Refer disputed interpretation to the appropriate decision owner rather than inventing a payment or withholding entitlement from this checklist. |
Useful working output: A request traced to its condition without inventing a right to pay or withhold.
What would change the decision?
Open each challenge to test the reasoning against a different finding.
The invoice percentage exceeds verified work
Check: Compare the approved schedule of values, prior accepted quantities, current verified quantities and approved changes. Check for double counting.
Decision effect: Route the discrepancy through the agreed payment-review process. Invoice progress and physical acceptance remain separate records.
Materials are billed before they are installed
Check: Check the actual contract provisions for stored materials, supporting ownership and storage evidence, insurance and inspection requirements with the appropriate reviewer.
Decision effect: Document the basis for the payment decision. A supplier receipt alone does not establish every contractual prerequisite.
Adapt the record request to authorized access, governing documents and the actual property. The example does not verify any unknown input or replace a professional conclusion.
Property Invoice Approval and Payment Controls · More capital projects and building safety examples
Before acting on this guide
Set the review boundary and the acceptance test.
What the evidence does not prove
Do not interpret the invoice percentage as independently verified installed work.
What to verify before acceptance
Link payment support to approved scope, qualified progress evidence, changes and applicable payment conditions.
Original proposed coordination checks · adapt to authorized access, the actual obligation and the appropriate professional review. These are not findings about your property.
Follow the related handoff workflow · Read the review definitions
Working checklist
Capital Project Payment Evidence and Milestone Review checklist
A reusable control-definition worksheet. Add property-specific owners, dates, evidence links and status before using it as an action record.
These rows define suggested controls, not completed property findings. Interpret each check against your actual property records, responsible role and acceptance evidence. See the review instructions and reuse terms.
8 checks shown
No check matches those filters. Try a different term or area.
| Review area | Check | Evidence | Responsible owner | Acceptance evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basis | Identify executed condition | Agreement milestone and amendments | Contract owner | Applicable source retained |
| Basis | Confirm request identity | Invoice and item references | Project coordinator | Request linked to intended scope |
| Acceptance | Identify qualified reviewer | Technical role and examination scope | Commissioning role | Conclusion has proper owner |
| Acceptance | Retain condition evidence | Required tests quantities or certificates | Acceptance owner | Evidence matches billed condition |
| Exceptions | Preserve disputed items | Unsupported item and resolution route | Project coordinator | Dispute not silently removed |
| Commitment | Reconcile cumulative exposure | Base approved pending and previous payments | Finance owner | States distinct and totals traced |
| Release | Verify authority payee and funding | Restricted verification and permitted basis | Finance owner | Authorized release path |
| Handover | Retain continuing obligations | Open tests documents defects and warranties | Project owner | Payment not final-acceptance proof |
Frequently asked questions
Does an invoice prove the milestone is complete?
It establishes the request. Confirm the actual condition through the evidence and reviewer required by the agreement.
Can this authorize withholding?
No. Payment rights, amounts and remedies require executed terms and appropriate advice. This method organizes evidence and roles.
Primary references and scope
Confirm the applicable source and any later changes before a property-specific decision. The guide provides coordination controls; professional conclusions remain with the appropriate qualified reviewer.