Force Majeure: What It Means for Your Project
Force majeure is a contract clause that protects both parties when extraordinary events outside their control make performance impossible or significantly impractical. Understanding this clause helps set realistic expectations in exceptional circumstances.
What Qualifies as Force Majeure?
Typically, force majeure events include:
- Natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, severe storms)
- Pandemics and widespread public health emergencies
- War, terrorism, civil unrest
- Government orders, regulatory restrictions, or embargoes
- Widespread infrastructure failures (internet backbone outages, national grid failures)
- Supplier or third-party failures beyond our reasonable control (e.g. a major cloud provider going down)
Note: economic downturns, market changes, or difficulty finding staff are generally not force majeure events.
How Force Majeure Affects Your Project
If a force majeure event occurs:
- The affected party must notify the other in writing as soon as reasonably practicable
- Obligations affected by the event are suspended for the duration of the force majeure
- Neither party is liable for the resulting delay or non-performance
- If the event continues for more than 60 days (or the period in your contract), either party may terminate with written notice without penalty
What We Do During Force Majeure
We will not abandon your project. We will communicate regularly, work around limitations where possible, and resume full delivery as soon as the event resolves. Any revised timeline will be agreed in writing once the situation normalises.