PCL Construction told to pay Carruthers Contracting for unpaid Woolooga Solar Farm work

A subcontractor on a multimillion-dollar solar farm project in regional Qld has won his second claim against a contractor on the job for unpaid work.

Jim Carruthers (right) has won an unpaid work claim worth more than $300,000 over subcontracting he did while working at the Woolooga Solar Farm outside Gympie. Contractor PCL Constructions was ordered by the QBCC to pay the money to Mr Carruther's company.

A Sunshine Coast subcontractor has won more than $300,000 in money owed to it for work at the multimillion-dollar Woolooga Solar Farm, the second time has had to fight to be paid on the job.

A Queensland Building Construction Commission adjudicator has ordered PCL Constructions to pay Palmgrove Holdings (trading as Carruthers Contracting) $305,067.37 for work the company carried out at the project 30km outside Gympie.

Carruthers had been seeking more than $1.5m in its claim.

The published adjudication ruling says the QBCC found PCL owed Carruthers $231,629.98 in subcontracting works and $496,442.90 for variations on the project including earthworks, and rehabilitation work.

This was offset by $446,751.48 which the watchdog found PCL could deduct in offsets.

However PCL’s final adjudicated payment came with an interest rate of 9.6 per cent per annum.

QBCC has ordered PCL Construction to pay Carruthers Contracting more than $300,000 for unpaid work at the Woolooga Solar Farm near Gympie.

The QBCC adjudicator said they were unable to make a decision on a $1.25m liquidated damages claim by PCL against Carruthers Contracting, saying there was evidence for each side’s case but ultimately PCL did not prove it was entitled to them.

Each company has been ordered to pay half of the costs of the adjudication.

Carruthers owner Jim Carruthers said this brought the final total to “just shy of $400,000”.

Mr Carruthers said he was “happy” with the ruling, despite obtaining about a quarter of his initial claim.

It was the second time Carruthers has won a claim against PCL Construction for unpaid work at the project.

In November 2022 the QBCC ordered PCL to pay Carruthers $1.3m.

Between the two claims the company has now been ordered to pay Carruthers more than $1.6m for work at the solar farm.

PCL Solar Australia Country Manager Gopi Govindraj said defended the company and its processes.

“We do not believe there is a need to change our business practice,” Mr Govindraj said.

“ This is a trade specific claim where each party reserves their rights under the legal provisions.”

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A spokesman for developer Lightsource BP declined to comment.

No suggestion of wrongdoing has been made against Lightsource BP.

Mr Carruthers said it was “appalling that after we do the work, that we have to go through this process to get paid”.

A lot of family businesses out there would not be able to survive in the same circumstances, he said.

‘You just have to keep chipping away to get paid,” Mr Carruthers said.