New initiative will help tackle issues arising from coronavirus lockdown

The Construction Leadership Council has backed a new conflict avoidance pledge developed by RICS in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

Under the pledge, clients and contractors commit to implementing conflict avoidance measures in their contracts and on site.

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The pledge will reduce the financial cost of disputes and help projects be delivered on time and in budget.

Andy Mitchell, chair of the CLC, said: "Preventing the escalation of problems with the delivery of construction projects into disputes is in the best interests of the whole supply chain and will save the industry significant time and money.

"The pledge has already delivered measurable results for those organisations that have used it, and we hope others will adopt it and help to build a more collaborative and stronger industry.”

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Organisations signing up to the pledge are encouraged to work collaboratively and use early intervention techniques throughout the supply chain to try and resolve issues before they escalate into disputes.

The Conflict Avoidance Procedure has been designed to help parties avoid disputes and agree a settlement by mediating discussions, providing impartial and objective assessments of the issues, recommendations for bases for settlement and providing expert advice.

Several professional bodies in the construction and engineering sectors have signed up to the pledge. These include the ICE, the RIBA, Transport for London and Network Rail.

Firms can sign up on the RICS website.

RICS Conflict Avoidance Pledge

  • We believe in collaborative working and the use of early intervention techniques throughout the supply chain, to try to resolve differences of opinion before they escalate into disputes
  • We recognise the importance of embedding conflict avoidance mechanisms into projects with the aim of identifying, controlling and managing potential conflict, whilst preventing the need for formal, adversarial dispute resolution procedures. We commit our resources to embedding these into our projects
  • We commit to working proactively to avoid conflict and to facilitate early resolution of potential disputes
  • We commit to developing our capability in the early identification of potential disputes and in the use of conflict avoidance measures. We will promote the value of collaborative working to prevent issues developing into disputes
  • We commit to work with our industry partners to identify, promote and utilise conflict avoidance mechanisms

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