At the beginning of every construction project, the parties' preference is obviously to have the job completed on time and within budget, and for everyone working on the project to be paid in full. However, circumstances such as performance issues, delay, changes in the owner's financing or plans for the project, insolvency, market changes, and government intervention can arise that create an untenable situation and cause an owner to terminate the contract (and, in some cases, the project). Over time, and following principles in federal contracting, parties to public and private construction contracts have developed contractual provisions to address these circumstances and provide an off-ramp for the contractual relationship through a termination for cause (i.e., default) or convenience.