Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) at Qatar Chamber has held a hybrid seminar titled “Collaborative Contracts in Construction Projects”.
The seminar comes as part of QICCA’s keenness to raise awareness of contractual and legal matters in a way that contributes to avoiding or reducing commercial disputes.
Introducing the seminar, Sheikh Dr Thani bin Ali Al-Thani, QICCA’s board member for International Relations, said that Qatar’s construction sector maintains its vitality thanks to the boom witnessed by the country, stressing that the pace of construction projects has been accelerating for many years and will continue beyond the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Sheikh Dr Thani noted that most of cases received by QICCA are from the construction sector, noting that holding such specialised seminars benefits companies operating in this sector.
Addressing the seminar, Virginie Colaiuta, Partner at LMS Legal LLP and Visiting Fellow at the King’s College London, said that collaborative contracts in construction projects are of special importance to ensure the project’s success and raise performance and quality in general, noting that these contracts constitute contractual mechanisms for all parties to share the benefits and risks, and to overcome any expected obstacles that might lead to a dispute and financial claims.
She praised the policy of managing major construction projects in Qatar, pointing to the criteria adopted by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) in its management of mega projects in the country and its concern to raise awareness of cooperation between contracting parties.
She also stressed the need for consulting experts when drafting collaborative contracts to ensure the interest of all parties.