Construction Management Guide

Concurrent delays

Samer Hisham Skaik — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:10:43 +0000

Concurrent delays By Jad Chouman When delays occur on a construction project, it is not uncommon for each party to attempt to use concurrent delays in defense against the opposing party’s delay damages: Employers often cite concurrent delays by the contractor as a reason for awarding an extension of time without compensation, whereas contractor’s claims [...]

Coordination – the magic wand

Samer Hisham Skaik — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:55:29 +0000

By Philip Adams In a previous article I referred to the term ‘coordination’ and given recent experiences, I thought it would be useful to expand on the subject a bit more. I have come to the conclusion that this word is considered by some to be an ancient mystical symbol infused with magical qualities. When [...]

Issues in calling on-demand bonds

Samer Hisham Skaik — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:16:00 +0000

By KATIE LISZKA IN Gulf Construction’s June 2011 issue, I looked at two cases where the courts (one in Dubai and the other in England) had prevented calls on what on their face appeared to be “on-demand” bonds, on the basis of the provisions in the underlying construction and engineering contracts. The effect of the [...]

I Thought You’d Never Notice: The Civil Code and the Red Book

Samer Hisham Skaik — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:11:31 +0000

By Nick Kramer Red Book For all its innovation and spectacular achievements, the construction industry in the United Arab Emirates has been slow to move on from its close relationship with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers Red Book (fourth edition). The Red Book was superseded years ago, and it is little used outside the [...]

Contemporary records

Samer Hisham Skaik — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:50:30 +0000

It is not often that I will get the opportunity to report a case from the Falkland Islands Supreme Court, but the case of Attorney General for the Falkland Islands -v- Gordon Forbes Construction deals with a point of general interest in the management of claims. Forbes had entered into a contract with the Falkland [...]

Goals, Strategies and Objectives Explained

Samer Hisham Skaik — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:12:38 +0000

The definition of goals, strategies and objectives can be difficult to define. However, through practice and the use of some common definitions, you can start to identify and tell the difference. Business Goals TenStep does not use the term “project goals”. Goals are set at the organization level – not the project level. Objectives are [...]

Time’s running out on FIDIC Middle East

Samer Hisham Skaik — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:14:11 +0000

FIDIC’s 3rd annual Middle Eastern Contract Users’ conference is next month – you still have time to attend but you’ll need to be quick! CMGuide readers can get a 10% discount by quoting VIP code: FKW82257CMGP2 5 great reasons to attend: Benefit from best practice advice on using the contracts and on resolving disputes in [...]

Can disputes be settled like gentlemen?

Samer Hisham Skaik — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:59:24 +0000

By Dr Chandana Jayalath In Qatar’s public works, the employer and the engineer mostly operate as the same entity, although they are two different entities in the strict contractual sense. As such, the dispute clause, which is available in any typical infrastructure project in Qatar, generally considers both the employer and the engineer as one [...]