# Lesson: Always check job type before commercial drafting

**Date:** 2026-04-29
**Job:** 01-2275 HPE Field of Play Hornsby
**Severity:** High — would have damaged client relationship pre-mobilisation

## What happened

OpsMan/Hermes drafted a formal "Working Hours Clarification" letter to Solutions Plus arguing that the contract's 6-day × 10.5h working hours represented 1.8× the hours quoted (5-day × 7h), and asking for commercial adjustment.

**This was wrong.** The job is fixed-price (lump sum, $324K main scope). Under a price contract, "working hours" is a **permitted window**, not an obligation. LFCS chooses how to use that window — faster = LFCS keeps margin, slower = LFCS eats float.

## What should have happened

Before drafting commercial letters, check `00-brief.md` `type:` field:
- **price** → contract hours = permission window. No "we owe you more hours" framing.
- **dayworks** → contract hours = billable. Hours discrepancy = invoice difference.
- **hybrid** → main scope is price rules; variations are dayworks. Check which the issue affects.

## Mitigation

- Letter withdrawn before send (caught by Rocky during final review).
- AGENTS.md updated with explicit rule + reference table.
- B16 RFI marked Resolved internally in the register.
- This lesson filed for future jobs.

## Future trigger

Apply this check on every job kickoff. The first thing OpsMan should read on a new job is `00-brief.md` and confirm `type:` before drafting any external commercial communication.