Adjudication

UK Domestic Adjudication of construction disputes which arises from Part 2 of the Housing Grants Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 and was introduced by the UK Government in 1998. By this legislation it is available to qualifying construction contracts as a statutory right. In addition, most standard forms of construction contract include Act compliant provisions for adjudication.

The aim was to provide a fast and cost-effective way of resolving payment disputes in construction contracts. It has evolved over the years to become almost the default form of dispute resolution for UK construction disputes relating to almost any dispute but including payment, delays, costs, defective design and construction, termination, fee disputes and even professional negligence.

A party may adjudicate at any time and the process normally take between 28-42 days, although the procedure can be shorter or longer depending on the rules governing the adjudication or the agreement of the parties.

Murray Armes has been involved in adjudication since 2004 and has rendered around 100 decisions.