Acts of God are delays beyond both the contractor's and owner's control, and they shape sanitary engineering project schedules.

Outline

• Opening hook: delays pop up in sanitary engineering projects, and some delays are simply outside anyone’s control.

• Part 1: Define the four delay types in plain terms.

• Part 2: Focus on Acts of God — what it means, why it’s beyond both sides, and how it affects schedules and cost.

• Part 3: A quick tour of the other delay types (owner-controlled, contractor-controlled, logistical) and how they differ in responsibility.

• Part 4: How professionals handle these delays in real life—contracts, notices, extensions of time, risk management.

• Part 5: Practical tips for students and early-career engineers working with schedules in sanitary projects.

• Part 6: Tools and real-world references that help keep projects moving when delays loom.

• Closing: A concise recap and a note on staying calm and prepared when the weather, markets, or fate throws a curveball.

Acts of God and the other delays: keeping a sanitary project on track

Delays happen in almost every project, but not every delay is created equal. If you’re juggling design, procurement, and construction for a sanitary engineering project—think wastewater treatment upgrades, lining or lining rehabilitation, or new pumping stations—you’ll quickly see why it matters who’s responsible when a schedule slips. Let me explain how these delay types are typically classified and why the distinction matters for schedule management, risk allocation, and, yes, the occasional quiet sigh of relief when everyone agrees to the same rulebook.

What are the four delay types, in plain language?

• Acts of God: This is the big bucket. These are events nobody sees coming, usually weather or natural disasters. Think hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, or unusually severe storms. They’re not caused by the contractor, not caused by the owner, and they’re not easily mitigated with a clever workaround. When a storm floods a site or a floodgate fails during a heavy rain event, that’s an Act of God. Because they’re external and unforeseen, they’re considered excusable delays.

• Owner-controlled delays: Here the owner makes a scheduling decision or changes that slow the project. Examples? A late permit approval, a design change order requested by the owner, or a hold on site access due to funding pauses. These delays are on the owner’s side, so the contractor typically gets an extension of time if the delay is properly documented.

• Contractor-controlled delays: These delays come from the contractor’s own execution issues. Perhaps a key subcontractor misses a critical milestone, or there’s a failure in productivity, or equipment breakdowns slow progress. In many contracts, those delays are not excusable unless they’re caused by factors beyond the contractor’s control (and sometimes they’re still treated differently if the root cause is a persistent management issue).

• Logistical delays: These are supply-chain or transportation hiccups that affect material delivery or mobilization. A supplier runs late, a crane is unavailable, or a specific material arrives after the schedule has moved a couple of times. Sometimes logistical delays are treated as excusable if the contractor can show reasonable mitigation, but many projects have specific clauses that address how long lead times, backorders, or port delays impact the critical path.

Why Acts of God sit in a special category

Acts of God are, by design, outside the control of both sides. They’re the kind of event that tests a project’s resilience without pointing a finger. The concept is fairly straightforward: if the weather or a natural disaster disrupts work, it’s not a performance failure on the part of the contractor or the owner. It is a disruption that requires time to recover, not punishment or blame. In practice, this means:

• Notice and documentation: The party affected typically notifies the other side as soon as possible and documents the event and its impact on the schedule.

• Extensions of time: Rather than penalizing the contractor or the owner, the schedule gets adjusted to reflect the lost time. In many cases, a time extension is granted, and the project may still proceed after the event.

• Possible cost considerations: Whether costs are recoverable depends on the contract language and whether force majeure or equivalent concepts apply. Some projects cover certain costs, while others leave costs to be addressed separately.

This is where the bigger picture comes into view: risk management. If a project knows that extreme weather could threaten milestones, it’s smart to build buffers, plan for alternative sequences, or adjust the critical path to keep the most important milestones intact. It’s not about being pessimistic; it’s about being practical and prepared.

A quick tour of the other delays

• Owner-controlled delays: When the owner’s decisions slow the project, the natural reaction is to grant an extension of time. This protects the contractor from penalties for delays that are not their fault. The tricky part? Owners aren’t always slow on purpose. Sometimes permits hinge on third-party approvals, or the funding schedule shifts, or the project scope changes in ways that ripple through the timeline. In any case, clear documentation helps prevent disputes later on.

• Contractor-controlled delays: For the contractor, these delays can be painful because they may trigger liquidated damages or reduced incentives if the project is tied to milestone payments. The important guardrail is to distinguish between delays caused by the contractor’s own failure to plan, resource, or execute, and delays caused by other factors. Good project management uses baseline schedules, monthly progress updates, and proactive risk mitigation to keep this category in check.

• Logistical delays: These are particularly common in sanitary projects with a lot of moving parts: specialized equipment, raw materials, and long lead times. A valve supplier that slips deliveries, or a delivery window that misses a critical construction phase, can push a sequence out of whack. The answer isn’t to panic; it’s to recalibrate the plan, seek alternatives, or reorder activities so the critical path remains intact.

How professionals manage delays in the field

Delays aren’t just about what happened; they’re about what you do next. The best project teams treat delays as information to act on, not as bad luck to endure passively. Here are practical steps you’ll see on real projects:

• Clear contract language: A well-drafted contract lays out what counts as an excusable delay, how to notify, and how to adjust the schedule. If you’re studying sanitary engineering, you’ll recognize that these clauses sit at the interface of design, procurement, and construction—where the rubber meets the road.

• Communication cadence: Early and transparent communication helps all parties adjust quickly. A short weekly update that flags potential delay triggers (weather alerts, supplier notices, permit hold-ups) can prevent last-minute surprises.

• Risk allocation and mitigation: Teams build risk registers that include weather patterns, material availability, and permitting timelines. For each risk, they assign owner, likelihood, potential impact, and a mitigation plan. It’s not glamorous, but it’s incredibly practical.

• Schedule integration: The critical path method (CPM) and modern project scheduling tools help teams see how a delay propagates. If a key milestone moves, the schedule is adjusted, and management can decide where to apply resources or shift sequences to minimize downstream impact.

• Documentation trail: Quick, precise notes on the cause, duration, and impact of a delay make it easier to justify extensions and avoid disputes later on. Documentation isn’t glamorous, but it’s the backbone of fair resolution.

Tips for students and early-career engineers working with schedules in sanitary projects

• Build your own delay playbook: Create a mental checklist for each delay type. If a major storm hits, who do you contact? What data do you collect? What’s the baseline impact on the critical path?

• Embrace simple visuals: A clean Gantt chart or a CPM snapshot with a highlighted critical path helps non-engineers grasp the impact quickly. Stakeholders appreciate clarity, not a wall of numbers.

• Think in terms of resilience: In sanitation projects, the risk of a flood, a power outage, or a supply hiccup isn’t just theoretical. Build in buffers around critical activities and identify alternative sequences that can be activated if needed.

• Learn the language of claims and extensions: You don’t need to become a lawyer, but understanding how extensions of time work, and what constitutes an excusable delay, helps in honest, efficient project discussions.

• Use familiar tools: Software like Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project isn’t just for technicians. It’s a storytelling tool that helps you explain where you are, where you’re headed, and what you need to stay on track.

Real-world tools and resources you’ll encounter

• Scheduling software: Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, and similar platforms dominate the field. They’re not just number crunchers; they’re planning and communication hubs.

• Risk management frameworks: A simple risk register, paired with a mitigation plan, can transform how a team responds to threats like weather or supply delays.

• Contract reference points: Standard contract language from AIA or other industry bodies often includes force majeure or force majeure-like clauses. You’ll appreciate knowing where to look when delays appear on the horizon.

• Industry references: Look to case studies on large sanitary projects—upgrades to treatment trains, new aeration basins, or pipe rehabilitation programs. These stories reveal how teams navigated weather events, supply constraints, and permit delays.

Let’s bring it back to the core point you came for

Which type of delay is classified as being beyond the control of both the contractor and the owner? Acts of God. This category captures the essence of external disruption—events neither party caused and that aren’t easily mitigated through planning alone. It’s a reminder that some things in project work are inherently unpredictable, and that savvy teams prepare for them rather than pretending they don’t exist.

But the real skill isn’t just naming the delay. It’s recognizing how to respond when the sky darkens and the work stalls. It’s about the discipline to document, to communicate early, and to adjust the plan without drama. In sanitary engineering, where timing can influence public health outcomes and regulatory compliance, these responses aren’t abstract. They’re practical acts of stewardship—keeping water systems reliable, even when nature writes its own schedule.

A closing thought about risk and readiness

Delays will happen. That’s the honest truth. What matters is how you react when they do. If you’re in the field, you’ll notice a common thread: teams that stay calm, document thoroughly, and adjust intelligently tend to keep their critical milestones intact. They don’t pretend the weather isn’t happening or that a supplier won’t be late; they plan for it, and they respond with clarity.

So, next time you hear someone describe the schedule as “slipping,” take a breath and look for the root cause. If it’s weather, that’s an Act of God—one that deserves a measured extension and a refreshed plan. If it’s something else, use the guidelines of owner-controlled, contractor-controlled, or logistical delays to pinpoint accountability and keep the project moving. The result isn’t just a on-time handoff; it’s a sanitation system that remains dependable, even when the world outside isn’t.