FIDIC Middle East Contract User’s Conference 2013

I was invited to speak at the FIDIC Middle East Contract User’s Conference in Dubai on 26 & 27 February, where I presented a well-received talk on Pursuing Claims Under FIDIC Contracts in the Middle East and Internationally.

I was able to catch up with old friends and made new contacts, many who had travelled far and wide to attend the conference.

One interesting item of news is that, in line with FIDIC’s policy of continual improvement, the FIDIC Contracts Drafting Committee are currently updating the 1999 ‘Rainbow Suite’ of contracts. These will not be subject to major revisions but will contain several changes and improvements in line with feedback received from users.  Some of the changes were reported to include:

•  The separation of claims from disputes in Clause 20, to reflect the misconception that claims are related to disputes.
•  A more detailed definition of the obligations of the Engineer when responding the claims.
•  Changing ad-hoc Dispute Adjudication boards in the Yellow and Silver books to standing boards, in line with current best practice and in recognition of the added value that standing boards provide in dispute avoidance.
• Various improvements already included within in the Gold book.