Has adjudication had its day?

The first issue of Construction Law of 2017 is with subscribers today, containing its trademark blend of expert legal opinion on current key topics and news of developments affecting law and procurement in the industry.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Bill to reform third party rights

A Bill to reform contract law relating to Third Party Rights has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament that will give these rights a statutory footing for the fist time in Scotland.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Independent Fee for Intervention dispute process planned

Proposals to make the dispute process for the Health and Safety Executive’s ‘Fee for Intervention’ (FFI) cost recovery scheme fully independent are to be consulted on, it has been announced.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Advice published on new payment reporting regulations

Guidance to help large businesses report on how quickly they pay their suppliers, which will soon become a mandatory requirement, has been published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

New guidelines spark rise in health and safety fines

Instances of fines costing £1M or more being handed to businesses over health and safety accidents and near misses increased six-fold in 2016 following the introduction of new sentencing guidelines a year ago.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Action urged to tackle worsening global corruption

Systemic corruption is on the rise around the world and urgent action is needed according to Transparency International, which has published its Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

News in Brief: 10 February 2017

A Manchester building contractor has been jailed following the death of a 45 year old labourer who fell almost 7m through a fragile warehouse roof in November 2013. Saleem Hussain had employed two labourers to carry out repair and maintenance work on the roof at Witney Mill, Manchester Crown Court heard.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Construction Law: January/February 2017

Editor’s comment    
Procurement focused strategy published
Editor Nick Barrett finds a range of familiar messages about post-Brexit procurement in the government’s industrial strategy Green Paper. The fact that Prime Minister Theresa May is spearheading these strategic reforms could make the difference this time.

News
Our news round up this month includes evidence that the HSE’s fee for intervention scheme doesn’t raise enough to pay for its costs; calls for government to detail how UK court decisions can be enforced internationally post-Brexit; and a World Bank report highlights public procurement shortfalls in 180 countries.

Legal terms explained
Ann Levin and Michael Sharp of Herbert Smith Freehills explain what is meant by assignment.

Guest editor
Reassessing adjudication
Guest editor Stephen Woodward of project consultancy ResoLex says compulsory adjudication is adversarial and pulling against the industry drive towards collaborative ways of working. The time is ripe for the culture change needed to foster collaboration, leaving adjudication as a true last resort.

Legislation state of play table
Clyde & Co provide our regular round up of the progress of legislation as it makes its way through the UK and EC legislative systems. Alexander Gandhi and Iain Boyle comment on the new edition of the Pre-Action Protocol for Construction and Engineering Disputes.

Reports from the courts
Our latest look at recent court decisions from Andrew Croft and Simii Sivapalan of Beale & Company Solicitors LLP focuses on two disputes over oral contracts; one with major implications for ‘smash and grab’ adjudications; and the other highlighting the importance of agreeing costs and the basis of their calculation at the start of any construction contract.

Contracts monitor
Red type a warning of problems ahead
Contracts monitor Michael Phipps, Principal of Thurston Consultants, examines Contract Particulars of the JCT’s new Minor Works Building Contract. Don’t be lulled in to a false sense of security by the changes to this version, he warns, there are complications to come.

CL guides
A beginner’s guide to: JCT contracts
In the first of a new series of nuts and bolts guides to construction law topics from DLA Piper, Rachel Chaplin explains the basics of selecting which of the JCT’s range of contracts is most suitable for a particular project.

Adjudication review
Review of adjudication cases in 2016
Lawrence Davies and Danielle Griffiths of Pinsent Masons review some of the key adjudication related cases from 2016 and the impact they will have on practitioners. Hot topics included extending adjudication to settlements, serial adjudication and curtailment of ‘smash and grab’ actions.

Scotland review
2016 – bonds and warranties featured in Scotland
Shona Frame and Frances Garratt of CMS review the year in Scotland. A number of significant legal and legislative developments included court decisions affecting performance bonds and collateral warranties, and legislative support was given to project bank accounts.

Contracts
Knock for knock in offshore construction contracts
Katherine Doran of Holman Fenwick Willan LLP cuts through the complexity of how ‘knock for knock’ provisions work in offshore construction contracts, giving a breakdown of a typical clause to show how the various elements fit together.

Concurrent delay
Concurrent delay outlook uncertain
Aidan Steensma, Of Counsel at CMS, examines the implications for approaches to concurrent delay of a recent decision made in the Commercial Court. There is still no sign of agreement between construction specialists about which approach to favour.

Insurance
Risk management for architects and engineers
Management of risk cannot be ignored just because an insurance policy is in place, warns insurance expert John D Wright of JD Risk Associates, in this guide to how to approach proper risk management.

Alternative dispute resolution
Solvency doubts no reason for a stay
In our latest alternative dispute resolution series article Jamie Calvie of Clyde & Co analyses a recent decision where a contractor’s worries about a client’s ability to meet its final account obligations proved to be no justification for staying an adjudication award.

Reassessing adjudication

Guest editor Stephen Woodward of project consultancy ResoLex says compulsory adjudication is adversarial and pulling against the industry drive towards collaborative ways of working. The time is ripe for the culture change needed to foster collaboration, leaving adjudication as a true last resort.

This story is only available to subscribers to the printed edition of Construction Law. If you have a subscription please log in to read the rest of the story.