What a notice to proceed does
An NTP is the owner’s written authorization telling a contractor to start. The signed contract establishes what gets built and for how much; the notice to proceed says the starting gun has fired and fixes the date everything is counted from. On most jobs the two are days or weeks apart, because the owner is waiting on financing, permits, bonds, or insurance certificates before it wants a crew mobilizing and billing.
The document is deliberately short. It identifies the contract, names the commencement date, names the date substantial completion is expected, and carries the signature of someone authorized to act for the owner. Scope, price, damages, and how time may be adjusted already live in the contract — the notice points at it rather than restating it. What effect the notice carries, and whether one is required at all, is determined by the contract documents and the law of the project’s state, not by this template.
What each field captures
NTP Number is auto-assigned as the next NTP sequence from your saved notices. Notice Date is the day the letter is issued, which is not necessarily the day work starts. Under Contractor (To), Contractor Name is the entity bound by the contract and falls back to your saved business profile if left blank, while Recipient Name and Recipient Address are who the letter is addressed and delivered to.
Project Name and Project Address identify the work. Contract Reference and Contract Date are optional, but filling them is what turns a generic letter into a document tied to one specific executed agreement.
Commencement Date is the day work is authorized to begin. Substantial Completion Deadline is when the milestone is expected. Days Authorized is read-only — the tool subtracts commencement from the deadline and prints the calendar-day difference on the notice. If that count does not match the duration in your contract, one of the dates is wrong, which is the check the field exists to give you.
Body Text can be left blank, in which case the tool composes a paragraph from your entries; typing your own replaces it, and Reset to default rebuilds the generated version. Owner Name and Title populate the From block and the signature lines. Saved notices stay in your browser.
How it is typically used
Issue one dated notice on the owner’s letterhead, and send it the way the contract says notices are sent — the delivery method and any acknowledgment matter more than the prose. Send it far enough ahead that the contractor can mobilize by the commencement date rather than on it.
That commencement date is the number every downstream document inherits. Pull it into your construction schedule as day one and date submittal log deadlines from it, since long-lead procurement tends to eat the float lost while everyone waited for the NTP. When time later slips, the notice is the fixed reference a weather delay log or time-extension request is measured against, and the certificate of substantial completion closes the period the NTP opened.
Some owners issue a limited or partial notice first, authorizing only mobilization, submittals, or procurement, then a full notice once permits land. This template produces a single general notice. If you need a limited one, say so plainly in the body text and name exactly what is and is not authorized.
Limitations
Template only, not legal advice. The generator does not read your contract, does not know whether your project calls for a written NTP, and takes no position on what follows if a notice is late, conditional, or never issued. Days Authorized is a plain calendar subtraction between two dates you typed; it does not account for working days, holidays, weather allowances, or any milestone structure your agreement may define. Notice requirements, time-related terms, and remedies are set by the contract documents and applicable state law. Have counsel or your contract administrator review the wording before you issue this on a live project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a contract and a notice to proceed?
The contract is the agreement itself — scope, price, and terms. The notice to proceed is a short letter issued afterward telling the contractor that work may begin and identifying the date it begins. The two are often weeks apart while permits, bonds, insurance certificates, or financing are finalized. An NTP does not modify contract terms; it points at the executed agreement and names the commencement date.
How does the tool calculate Days Authorized?
It subtracts the commencement date from the substantial completion deadline and shows the difference in calendar days, rounded, with a floor of zero. It is a straight date subtraction — no adjustment for weekends, holidays, shutdown periods, or non-work days. Use it as a sanity check against the duration written into your contract. If the two disagree, one of your dates is wrong.
Can I write my own body text?
Yes. Leave the body field blank and the tool composes a paragraph from the parties, project, and dates you entered. Type anything into the field and yours is used instead, both on screen and in print. The Reset to default button regenerates the composed version from your current inputs, which is handy after you change a date.
Who signs a notice to proceed?
The template provides a single signature block for the owner or the owner’s authorized representative, with lines for signature, date, printed name, and title. There is no contractor countersignature line. If you want the contractor to acknowledge receipt, add that request to the body text and check your contract for how it expects delivery or receipt to be confirmed.