2017 in Review

28th January 2018

NEW HIRES, NEW PROJECTS AND NEW CONTINENTS MADE 2017 A LANDMARK YEAR FOR CONTRACT DISPUTE CONSULTANTS

2017 was a successful year at Contract Dispute Consultants (CDC). Not only did we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we continued to see impressive growth with a number of major contract wins, a series of successful settlements and some fantastic additions to the CDC team.

NEW HIRES BROUGHT ONBOARD AS CDC EXPANDS OPERATIONS INTO NORTH AMERICA

We’ve recently brought in two new team members, marking a new phase for CDC. Firstly, we’ve welcomed Ian Bramley into the fold. Ian brings over 40 years of experience in the design and management of major building and civil engineering projects. A UK-qualified chartered civil engineer and builder, Ian’s impressive CV includes deep technical and commercial experience in the Middle East and Hong Kong. Ian has worked globally throughout his career and previously worked as a project director and manager on projects of up to US $5bn value.

Ian joins CDC to work on a North American project assisting with a client’s preparation for Dispute Review Board proceedings and advising on ongoing contractual issues and strategy.

In addition to Ian, we’ve also recruited Ivy Lam as a full-time Consultant. Ivy is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor who brings with her a decade of experience working with developers, main contractors and subcontractors. Ivy has already played a major role at CDC, working on E&M claims and presentations in preparation for a recent mediation.

Both of these hires will strengthen CDC’s ability to deliver high quality services to our clients both in Hong Kong and in new markets.

LANDMARK RESULT FOR CDC

CDC are pleased to announce the recent completion of another successful mediation process. The dispute centred on the final account of a major airport project, covering significant issues over the life of the project.

CDC initially provided claims drafting and contractual advice during the course of the works for an in-house subcontractor, followed by presentations to and negotiation with the client on the subcontractor’s behalf.

Over a period of 10 months, CDC then project managed the preparation for the mediation of the main project final account. This was done on behalf of the main contractor covering issues ranging from ground conditions to design change and acceleration of the works.

CDC were also responsible for preparing the position paper. The mediation team comprised the Contractor’s in-house staff, eight CDC staff and numerous external consultants and experts. CDC staff presented the contractor’s position on some of the major issues in the mediation and advised the contractor’s senior management team on strategy.

The use of mediation on such a large and complex project – and the subsequent positive outcome for the parties – again demonstrates the efficacy of the process when properly managed.

CDC’s client commented, “CDC have again delivered an excellent result for us on a difficult project. David and his team were able to clearly demonstrate complex technical and programming issues which were key to resolving the dispute.”

SETTING THE MOOD FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR

Finally, to round off a successful anniversary year, CDC staff and family celebrated in style last month with a special Christmas Dinner at Hong Kong’s famous Peninsula Hotel.