The webinar, “Dealing with change in uncertain times”, was attended by over 500 people and looked at some of the current events which have made change more likely and potentially more costly and highlighted how FIDIC contracts deal with change requests and the effects of unplanned and unscheduled changes.
There was much discussion in the webinar chat and questions from attendees about a range of issues, contractual and non-contractual. These included: whether the cost for Covid PCR tests could be stipulated in the contract; whether amendments to the dispute resolution rules and procedures would be made to expressly cater for online meetings and hearings; whether Covid-19 would have a lasting impact on the crafting of contracts for the construction sector; and what measures could be taken to address the challenge of holding up the morale of employees and team members. These and many more questions were addressed by the panellists and the webinar.
Summing up the event, FIDIC president Bill Howard said that he hoped that the experience of the pandemic would lead to the industry working more collaboratively towards a more win-win approach in future rather than win-lose. It was heartening to see the increase in dialogue and collaboration reported by the panellists, said Howard, who hoped that this would continue well into the future.
MODERATOR:
FIDIC Chief Executive, Nelson Ogunshakin.
SPEAKERS:
Luigi Mula, Legal Director, DLA Piper, Italy
Jeremy Glover, Partner, Fenwick Elliott, UK
Husam Gawish, Partner, HKA, Qatar
Emily McDonald, Partner, Buro Happold Engineering, UK.
I really believe that we have seen more of the 'we are all in it together' approach during the past year and it obviously needs to continue.”Husam Gawish, HKA
