Worried over high value job

[LovelyBath]

Please could someone help. My husband has been self employed for a couple of years, working in industry. Basically he is supplying a business with an assembly line and installing it. He is thinking it might not be complete on time as the company need to pay him before the end of December (not sure why something about all jobs commissioned this year have to be done by then)

He has started saying things like we might lose our house! As they have paid him £30,000 for the equipment and if he doesn't finish it on time they could just ask for the money back!

I wish he hadn't taken it on, it's not worth this amount of stress!

Can he not hire temporary help for a couple of days or a week to help get things back on track

What does the contract say? I am guessing its content will set out what happens if he doesn't deliver. Expecting all the money back sounds unlikely? There might be penalties for being late, but they will still have had the majority of the work done etc, although I appreciate a half finished production line isn't much use.

What I would suggest is that he talks to them now to see if he can have an extension etc. They could be planning on using the machinery from 2nd Jan etc, so better to talk about it now rather than on 24th of Dec?

And as grumpy says can he throw more resource at the problem?

It sounds really stressful, but if he acts now there might be time to find a solution....

Yes he is communicating with them and know the guy in charge quite well. he says the only guy he know to help practically has just gone on paternity leave! and he's had problems with someone else who hasn't finished something which has held things up. I agree to keep speaking with them apparently the company is sending someone down next week or something to see him? Which I kind of think is a good thing but he doesn't! Aargh!