The art of war: How to avoid or win in a dispute in the construction industry

The cost of disputes arising out of engineering and construction projects is staggering in terms of both time and money.

HKA published a report in 2020 analysing more than 1,100 projects across 88 countries. The CRUX Insight 2020 report reveals the astonishing cost and most common causes of disputes and delays in the global engineering and construction industry.

HKA is pleased to be invited by The Chartered Institute of Building (Hong Kong) to speak at this webinar. HKA’s Jonathan Palmer and Maximilian Benz will share how disputes can be avoided, and what companies can do to make a successful claim when there are damages incurred. They will also consider alternative dispute resolution forums, and how companies can negotiate for an ideal settlement in instances where disputes are unfortunately unavoidable.

The speakers will discuss the following topics.

• Finding the Right Expert
• Claims Avoidance Strategy, Common Dispute Types, Contract Remedies
• Delay to Progress, Loss of Productivity
• The Importance of Records
• Appointment of Experts/ Consultants, Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Negotiation – Key Considerations, Settlement Remedies

SPEAKERS

Jonathan Palmer, BSc MSc CEng MIMMM FGS APAEWE
Technical Director, HKA

Jonathan Palmer has extensive technical and management consultancy expertise of geotechnical aspects of civil and structural engineering. His experience stretches across all areas of project development from ground investigation through planning and design management during construction.

In addition to having worked throughout the UK, Jon has extensive overseas’ experience in Europe, UAE, Far East, Central America and the Caribbean. He was resident in Hong Kong as geotechnical lead for a major engineering consultant from 1995 to 1998. He has worked on dispute resolution since the 1990s, and has provided evidence under cross-examination at international arbitration and in court.

Maximilian Benz, BSc (Hons) LLM MCIArb MRICS AMAE
Senior Consultant, HKA

Maximilian Benz is a chartered quantity surveyor and an experienced contracts manager with almost a decade of experience in industry, this includes working for professional quantity surveying consultancies with contractors and developers. In the last five years, Maximilian has layered this experience with expert witness and claims work for quantum matters in formal disputes.