The final certificate is a certification by the Contract Administrator that a construction contract has been fully completed. It is issued at the end of the defects liability period (after the certificate of Good Defects has been issued to the Contract Administrator’s satisfaction) and has the effect of releasing all remaining money due to the contractor, including any remaining retention.

The value of the final certificate will be based on the final account agreed by the cost consultant and the contractor. This means that all patent defects must have been remedied, all adjustments to the contract sum must have been agreed and all claims settled.