In step with the publication of the new 2024 suite of JCT contracts, the industry standard letter of intent from the City of London Law Society (CLLS) has just been updated and published. The CLLS Letter of Intent or LOI, as widely named, continues to be the singularly most used form of document of this type, adopted across the UK and adapted for use internationally.

Before talking about the changes between the earlier and the 2024 forms, it’s worth rehearsing some of the background. Back in the mid-noughties, the CLLS construction law committee had been aware that there was no common basis for dealing with letters of intent – and these ranged from wafers of a document to unwieldy tomes. So the committee used Building magazine, back in 2006 and then refreshed in 2007, to publicise the new industry standard form. A little sheepishly, I was privileged to write that piece and to have been the (very junior!) member of that working group.

…