Top Causes of Disputes in the Construction Industry

EC Harris’ report Global Construction Disputes report 2013 lists the following as the top causes of disputes in the construction industry:

  1. Incomplete and/or unsubstantiated claims
  2. Failure to understand or comply with contractual obligations
  3. Failure to properly administer the contract
  4. Failure to make interim awards on extensions of time and compensation
  5. Errors/ omissions in the Contract Document
 I have to say that from my own experience, I agree with this list and in my consultancy business, I deal with such matters on an almost daily basis. One of the objectives of our claims training courses is to teach our students how to prepare claims or responses in such a way that they will not be elevated to disputes. This of course saves considerable time and money for all parted involved.