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Free template · NEC4

Compensation Event Log Template: Free NEC4 CE Register (Excel)

A ready to use Excel register for tracking every compensation event from notification to implementation, with the 8 week time bar calculated automatically. Built by quantity surveyors.

WD
Will DoyleFounder and CEO, Gather · Chartered QS · Last reviewed 22 July 2026

A compensation event log is the register a contractor keeps of every NEC4 compensation event on a project. It records the clause 60.1 trigger, the notification date, the eight week time bar deadline, quotation status and value, so no entitlement is lost to a missed deadline.

Under NEC4 clause 61.3, a contractor who does not notify a compensation event within eight weeks of becoming aware of it loses the right to a change in the Prices or Completion Date, unless the event arises from the Project Manager or Supervisor giving an instruction, notification or certificate, or changing an earlier decision.

What a good CE log covers

Most CE registers fail in the same three places: the time bar date is worked out by hand, the log only records events someone remembered to notify, and the evidence sits somewhere else entirely. This template fixes the first problem and makes the second one visible.

FieldWhy it matters
CE reference and clause 60.1 triggerTies every entry to its contractual ground, so the PM sees entitlement not opinion
Date aware and notification dateThe two dates the eight week time bar runs between
Time bar deadline (calculated)The sheet works it out and flags anything within 14 days
Quotation status and valueTracks the clause 62 cycle so quotations do not drift past their reply dates
Evidence referencePoints at the diary entries and records that substantiate the event

The template, field by field

RefEvent / clause 60.1 triggerNotifiedTime barStatus
CE-014Instruction changing the Scope (60.1(1))04 Jul 2622 Aug 26Quoted
CE-015Physical conditions (60.1(12))29 Jul 267 days left
CE-016PM did not reply on time (60.1(6))18 Jul 2612 Sep 26Notified

Each column carries guidance notes in the sheet itself, with dropdown clause triggers and conditional formatting on the time bar column. The walkthrough below explains every field with a completed example.

Download the free template

The Excel file with automatic time bar calculation, clause 60.1 dropdowns and a worked example tab.

Download the template (.xlsx) Free download. No email needed. Yours to use and share with your team.

Worked example: a CE from notification to implementation

On 4 July, the Project Manager instructs a change to the Scope under clause 60.1(1). The contractor logs it the same day as CE-014, which starts the eight week time bar at 22 August. A quotation is submitted within the three week window, the PM responds within two weeks, and the Prices and Completion Date are changed accordingly. The whole cycle is visible in one row instead of scattered across an instruction, an email thread and a quotation document nobody can find six months later.

Compare that with CE-015, a physical conditions event still sitting unquoted with seven days left on the clock. The register makes that risk visible today, not at final account.

How Gather automates this

A CE log is only as good as the records behind it. If an event never makes it into the register, the template cannot save it, and on most projects the events that get missed are exactly the ones nobody notified.

Every compensation event you miss is revenue you have already earned and will not be paid for.

Gather's AI QS reviews your records against the NEC4 clauses and surfaces the events your team has not notified yet, before the eight week clock bars them.

See how the AI QS catches missed CEs A 30 minute call. No commitment. Bring one of your live contracts.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What should a compensation event log include?

At minimum: a unique reference, the clause 60.1 trigger, the date your team became aware, the notification date, the calculated eight week time bar deadline, quotation status and value, and a pointer to the site records that evidence the event.

How long do I have to notify a compensation event under NEC4?

Eight weeks from becoming aware, under clause 61.3, unless the event arises from the Project Manager or Supervisor giving an instruction, notification or certificate, or changing an earlier decision.

Is Excel enough for CE management?

Excel works for the register itself. What it cannot do is spot the events nobody logged, which is where most entitlement is actually lost.

Stop losing revenue to missed compensation events

Gather reads your site diaries as they come in and flags the CEs before the time bar does.

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