Amazon Best Seller · #1 in Contract Law, Kindle and paperback

Screwed Down

How Australian builders take your margin, and how to take it back.

Subcontracts are drafted to push risk and cash down the chain, and the law written to protect you only works if you know it exists. This is the plain-English book on the clauses that decide who gets paid: what each one costs you in dollars, what to ask for before you sign, and the paperwork that gets you paid what you priced. Written for subcontractors, not lawyers.

Kindle, $14.99Paperback, $34.99Free resource pack
By Mat Kennedy, founder of The Construction Contracts Co. Also on Spotify and Google Play as an audiobook.
Screwed Down by Mat Kennedy, paperback
19 chaptersPart one: how you get screwed down. Part two: how you take it back.
One number eachEvery chapter pairs a figure from the Australian Subcontract Index with a story from site.
One step eachEvery chapter ends with one practical thing to do on your current job, usually by email.
What readers are saying

From the people who sign the subcontracts

"I have mine. It's well written, conversational and clear."

Managing DirectorCivil subcontractor, Brisbane

"What you've done takes big balls, and a lot of people will benefit from it. We will be implementing a few things from your book."

Commercial ManagerLandscaping subcontractor, Melbourne

"I've always been curious what subbies are thinking before it all hits the fan. This will be a gold mine."

Construction lawyerBrisbane
Inside the book

No builder named. No lawyer needed. Most of it takes an email.

Part one: how you get screwed down

One clause at a time. What it says, what it costs, and how it plays out on a real job.

  1. 01You are the builder's bank, and the interest rate is zeroWhy subcontractors end up funding the job→
  2. 02Two words that kill more claims than bad work ever willCondition precedent time bars→
  3. 03One late week costs more than your marginUncapped liquidated damages→
  4. 04The deduction you find out about on the certificateSet-off and back charges→
  5. 05"Do it, we'll sort the paperwork later"Verbal variations→
  6. 06Your money, their accountRetention and deeds of release→
  7. 07They can walk. You can'tTermination for convenience→
  8. 08The illegal clause that is still in your contractPay when paid is void→
  9. 09When they go under, you are last in the queueBuilder insolvency→

Part two: how you take it back

Where your leverage lives, the departures builders say yes to, and the paperwork that gets you paid.

  1. 10You have more leverage than you think, and less time to use it than you knowNegotiating a subcontract→
  2. 11Inside the builder's tender roomWhat happens to your quote after you press send→
  3. 12Credit-check the builder before the builder credit-checks youThe ten-minute builder check→
  4. 13Price the contract, not just the scopeWhat each subcontract clause costs→
  5. 14Read it in ten minutesFive searches and a checklist→
  6. 15The departures scheduleWhat builders actually say yes to→
  7. 16The paperwork that gets you paidThe subcontractor payment system→
  8. 17The snowballWhy the subbie who follows up in writing gets paid first→
  9. 18Silence is a debt dueWhen the builder sends no payment schedule→
  10. 19Down tools, legallySuspending work for non-payment→
The method

Three habits that do most of the work

Part two is a system, not a pep talk. Each piece has a chapter in the book and a free tool behind it.

Before you price

The ten-minute builder check

Who you are about to extend credit to, read from public records before the builder credit-checks you. Licence, court lists, insolvency notices, who the directors were last time.

Chapter 12 →
Before you sign

The departures schedule

Five searches, a checklist and a one-page schedule of the changes builders actually agree to: capped LDs, set-off with notice, retention on your own completion. Your leverage peaks here and drops the day you start.

Scan a subcontract free →
Every month after

The paperwork system

Claim in the statutory form, on the day, every time. Notice templates, the escalation ladder when payment is late, and what a builder's silence legally means for your claim.

Notice templates, free →
The audiobook

The whole book, about four hours, for the drive to site

Read in a digital replica of my voice, chapter by chapter, with the same one-thing-to-do at the end of each. The free resource pack below holds the templates and checklists the audiobook refers to.

Listen on SpotifyGoogle Play Books
Screwed Down, paperback, on a desk
Mat Kennedy holding a copy of Screwed Down
Free resource pack

The appendix, as a PDF, free for everyone

The state-by-state Security of Payment cheat sheet, the anti-screw checklist, the ten-minute builder check, nine notice templates, the departures schedule template and the wording bank. The companion to the book and the audiobook. Put your email in and the PDF opens straight away.

Readers of the paperback and the audiobook: the direct link printed in the book still works.

Mat Kennedy
The author

Mat Kennedy

Mat is the founder of The Construction Contracts Co. in Brisbane. He started as a cadet in 2021 and has worked both sides of the table since, as head contractor and subcontractor, across fitout, modular and commercial electrical work in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, on more than $200 million of projects. He has reviewed hundreds of builders' subcontracts, negotiated the departures and chased the payments. He built the free Subcontract Risk Scanner so any subbie can check a contract before signing it, and publishes the Australian Subcontract Index.

matkennedy.auThe Construction Contracts Co.Daily video on YouTube
Questions
Who is Screwed Down written for?

Australian subcontractors and trade business owners who sign builders' subcontracts: electricians, plumbers, carpenters, concreters, linings, mechanical, civil and every other trade. It is written for the person who signs the contract and chases the payment, not for lawyers.

Does the book cover my state?

The mechanisms it explains, such as payment claims, time bars, set-off, retention and liquidated damages, work the same way across Australia. Where the Security of Payment Acts differ by state, the book says so and the appendix has a state cheat sheet. Always check the current Act for your state.

Is Screwed Down legal advice?

No. It is general information from someone who has administered subcontracts from both sides of the table. It shows you what to look for, what to ask for and what to put in writing. For a live dispute, get advice on your specific contract.

Is there an audiobook?

Yes. The whole book, about four hours, read in a digital replica of Mat's voice. It is on Spotify and Google Play. The free resource pack on this page has the templates and checklists the audiobook refers to.

Kindle or paperback?

Both are on Amazon Australia: Kindle $14.99 and paperback $34.99. The paperback suits the desk where the claims get done, because every chapter ends with one thing to do on Monday.