Hills International beats UK rivals to win a slice of £500m Dubai pie

Hill International has beaten rival UK QSs and project managers to win a role on the second phase of the new Dubai International Airport, worth £500m.

The firm, which has 20 offices worldwide with headquarters in the USA, will provide claims management services during the second phase of the airport’s expansion for the client, the Department of Civil Aviation of the Emirate of Dubai.

The department is believed to have shortlisted UK-based firms Knowles, Currie & Brown and GT Fairway (owned by Gardiner and Theobald), for the scheme.

Under a tender process lasting six months, Hill International and Knowles made it down to the final two, before the client finally plumped for Hill.

John Brells, head of Hill International’s Abu Dhabi office, said his firm presented 38 profiles of airport projects to the client and it had been working in claims management for the Dubai Government for 18 years.

The contract will last until the final resolution of any outstanding claims, which Brells said was likely to be in 2009. He will oversee a team of four staff dedicated to the project, focusing on contractual entitlement, cost analysis and programme delay analysis.

With so many different contractors, a lot of co-ordination is required. Time will be a bigger factor than cost here.

John Brells

Time will be the critical issue on the project, says Brells: “With so many different contractors working together, a lot of co-ordination is required and that can cause delays and disruption. Time will be a bigger factor than cost here.”

Phase two of the airport project is scheduled for completion by 2008, according to the Department of Civil Aviation. It includes the construction of Terminal 3, Concourses 2 and 3, a cargo mega- terminal, a number of runways, Dubai Flower Centre and a major upgrade of the existing Terminal 2.

Brells said he hoped the work would help Hill International “gain a larger exposure to claims and contracts consulting in Dubai.”

The project was hit by tragedy last year when five workers died after a steel reinforcement fell on them during construction of the £350m first phase.

Contractor Laing O’Rourke won the job back in 2002, but Dubai Civil Aviation has since appointed a joint venture made up of local engineering firm Al Habtoor and South African firm Murray & Roberts (which has an alliance with Japanese company Takenaka), to oversee the second phase.