Specialist support on FIDIC contracts and disputes
Equitas provides specialist advisory services in relation to the FIDIC suite of contracts, supporting contractors, employers, consultants and legal teams on contract administration, claims, dispute avoidance and formal dispute resolution. Our work combines practical project understanding with close attention to contractual mechanism and entitlement.
We work on major international projects where FIDIC forms sit at the centre of contractual risk, claim development and dispute strategy.
Practical FIDIC advice
for live projects and disputes
FIDIC contracts are widely used on international construction and infrastructure projects, but their effective use depends on disciplined administration and clear understanding of how the contractual machinery operates in practice. Notices, claim procedures, Engineer determinations, time-bar arguments, programme obligations, valuation issues and dispute board provisions all require careful handling if entitlement is to be preserved and properly advanced.
Equitas advises on these issues during project delivery and in dispute settings. Our support may involve interpretation of contractual provisions, review of claim notices and submissions, assistance with Engineer or Employer responses, analysis of entitlement and support in preparing matters for negotiation, dispute boards or arbitration.
We are particularly focused on helping clients move from abstract contractual wording to usable project strategy. That means understanding how the clause operates, how the facts interact with it, what evidence is required and how the issue is likely to be approached by decision-makers if it later becomes disputed.
“Under FIDIC, entitlement is rarely a matter of clause wording alone. It depends on how the contract, the facts and the project record come together in practice.”
Our role is to help clients navigate that interaction clearly and pragmatically, so that contract administration decisions today do not become avoidable disputes tomorrow.
FIDIC advisory across
contract administration and disputes
Our FIDIC services are designed to support both live project administration and dispute-related issues arising under the FIDIC suite.
Notices and Claim Procedures
Advice on claims notice requirements, procedural steps, time limits and preservation of entitlement under the relevant FIDIC form, including support in drafting and reviewing notices and claim submissions.
Engineer Determinations
Support on matters referred to the Engineer for determination, including contractual framing, preparation of supporting material, review of determinations and analysis of their implications for subsequent dispute processes.
Contractual Entitlement Analysis
Structured review of entitlement issues arising from delay, variation, design responsibility, payment, valuation, termination, taking-over and other recurring FIDIC contract issues.
Dispute Board Preparation
Assistance in preparing matters for DAAB or DAB referral, including issue framing, contractual sequencing, supporting documentation and coordination of technical and contractual inputs.
Contract Administration Support
Practical support to project teams in administering FIDIC contracts during delivery, including handling instructions, variation issues, records, correspondence strategy and claim-related decision points.
Responses and Risk Review
Review of incoming claims, contractual positions and correspondence to assess exposure, procedural risk and the strength of the response position before matters escalate.
How we approach
FIDIC issues in practice
Identify the operative clause structure
We begin by identifying the relevant provisions under the applicable FIDIC form and considering how they interact with Particular Conditions, project documents and the actual issue in question.
Review the factual and procedural record
We examine notices, instructions, correspondence, programmes, submissions and other contemporaneous materials to understand whether contractual steps have been taken properly and what evidential support exists.
Assess entitlement and risk
We assess how the contract and the facts operate together, identifying both the strengths of the entitlement position and any procedural or evidential weaknesses that may affect it.
Develop the contractual strategy
We help clients decide how best to frame the issue, what submissions are required, what additional evidence may be needed and whether the matter is better managed through administration, negotiation or formal dispute referral.
Prepare for determination or dispute
Where the issue escalates, we assist in preparing the contractual and evidential foundation required for Engineer determination, dispute board referral, adjudication or arbitration.
Under FIDIC, timing and structure often matter as much as the underlying event.
Many FIDIC disputes do not arise because the contract lacks a mechanism, but because the mechanism has not been followed clearly, consistently or strategically during the project.
Our role is to help ensure that contract administration decisions, notices and claim steps are aligned with the entitlement being advanced and the forum in which the issue may later be tested.
The result is not just better paperwork, but a clearer and more defensible contractual position.
Experience across major
FIDIC contract forms
Our advisory work spans the principal FIDIC forms most commonly encountered on international projects, covering both the 1999 and 2017 editions with particular attention to the different risk allocations, claim mechanisms and dispute board provisions each form creates.
Red Book
Advisory support on remeasurement contracts, Engineer-administered claims, variation issues, extensions of time, payment and determination mechanisms under the 1999 Conditions of Contract for Construction.
Yellow Book
Support on design-build disputes, Contractor’s Documents, performance obligations, design responsibility, variations and claims involving technical design interface issues under the 1999 Plant and Design-Build form.
Silver Book
Advisory work on EPC and turnkey risk allocation, limited Engineer role, Contractor responsibility issues and claims arising in high-risk delivery models under the 1999 EPC/Turnkey form.
Pink Book
Support on MDB-financed projects, adapted FIDIC provisions, public-sector project administration and disputes involving funding or institutional frameworks under the MDB Harmonised Edition.
Red Book 2017
Specialist support under the 2017 Conditions of Contract for Construction, including the revised DAAB process, updated claim procedure under Clause 20, enhanced Engineer role, new Particular Conditions framework and the significant procedural changes from the 1999 edition that affect how disputes are managed and referred.
FIDIC advisory available as a project retainer.
The advisory services on this page — notices, Engineer determinations, entitlement analysis and contract administration — are also available as a standing monthly engagement for contractors on live FIDIC projects. Rather than engaging on individual issues as they arise, a project retainer embeds this support throughout project delivery, covering all claim-related decisions in real time.
View Project RetainerThe FIDIC Rainbow Suite
Our advisory work spans the full FIDIC suite. Whether you are working under a 1999 or 2017 edition, guidance is calibrated to the specific obligations, risk allocation and claims mechanics of the relevant Book.
Need advice on a FIDIC issue or dispute?
Contact Equitas to discuss the contract form, the issue in question and the practical support required on your project.