Definition of a Good Claim According to Roger Knowles

I have recently finished reading Roger Knowles’ autobiography, Somebody Up There Likes Us. I found this to be a thoroughly good read that covers Roger’s upbringing in the war years, to the time that his company, J R Knowles, was turning over £30M. It also gives the definition of a good claim.

He tells us how he achieved this incredible feat and became the industry’s acknowledged claims expert.

Roger tells of the time in the 1970’s when he had decided to offer a one-stop dispute resolution service and says that he considered:

‘that my client’s entitlements. Whether in respect of time and/or money, should be encapsulated in one fully comprehensive document headed “Construction Claim”. The Claim would tell the story of the events relating to the dispute which could be understood by anybody unconnected with the project, without having to refer to any other documents or person.”

This simple goal set the standard for the compilation of claims. Which is something that I am still observing in my consultancy work and preaching in our training courses some 40 years later.

Want to learn more about Construction Claims? Attend our 2-Day Construction Claims Intensive Training Course in Abu Dhabi on 14 & 15 June. 

Want to become a construction claims professional and looking for something more in-depth, check out details of our Construction Claims Distance Learning Course.