Service

    Construction Claims Expert for Time and Money Claims

    Independent analysis of construction claims for extension of time, variations, loss and expense — so you know what a claim is really worth before it becomes a dispute, and have evidence that stands up if it does.

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    • DIAC
    • arbitrateAD
    • SCCA
    • QICCA
    • BCDR
    • DIFC Courts
    • ADGM Courts
    • QICDRC
    • BICC

    Construction claims are where most disputes begin. A contractor seeks more time and more money; an employer and its engineer assess, reject or ignore the claim; the gap widens until it lands in front of a dispute board or a tribunal.

    Many claims fail not because the entitlement is weak but because the claim is poorly built: notices missed, records thin, delay and cost not linked, global figures where itemised ones were needed. Many defences fail for the mirror-image reason — a blanket rejection that does not engage with the evidence.

    We help both sides get it right. We review claims and responses independently, identify where entitlement and value are supported and where they are not, and — where a claim proceeds to formal dispute — give independent expert evidence on delay and quantum. We act on construction, infrastructure and energy projects across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

    What a construction claims expert does

    A construction claims expert is a quantity surveying, planning or contract specialist who analyses the time and cost consequences of events on a project. Depending on the stage, that means:

    • Testing the contractual basis — tracing each claimed event to the contract provisions relied on, and checking notices and particulars against the contract's procedural requirements.
    • Linking cause and effect — showing how each event caused delay or additional cost, rather than relying on a global "total cost" approach.
    • Valuing time and money — extension of time entitlement from a properly constructed programme analysis, and cost from contemporaneous records.
    • Reviewing the other side's position — identifying gaps, double counting and unsupported assumptions in a claim or in a rejection.
    • Preparing for escalation — building the analysis so it can become independent expert evidence if the claim proceeds to a dispute board, arbitration or court.

    Claim types we advise on

    Extension of time

    Entitlement to additional time for employer risk events, supported by a programme analysis that demonstrates critical delay.

    Prolongation and time-related costs

    Site overheads, preliminaries, plant and supervision costs for the period of compensable delay.

    Variations and change

    Instructed, disputed and constructive variations — scope, entitlement and valuation.

    Disruption and loss of productivity

    Claims for reduced productivity caused by out-of-sequence working, access restrictions, design changes and similar events.

    Acceleration

    Claims for the cost of accelerating the works, whether instructed or constructive.

    Unforeseeable conditions

    Claims arising from ground, utility and site conditions that differ from what an experienced contractor could have foreseen.

    Suspension and termination

    The time and cost consequences of suspension, and the accounts that follow termination.

    Employer claims

    Liquidated damages, defects costs, contra-charges and other employer claims against the contractor.

    Subcontract claims

    Pass-through, flow-down and back-to-back claims across the supply chain.

    Claims, delay and quantum: one story

    A claim is persuasive only when the narrative, the programme analysis and the valuation tell the same story. If the delay analysis identifies one period and the cost claim another, or if the events in the narrative are not the ones in the programme, the other side will exploit the gap.

    We make sure the entitlement case, the delay analysis and the quantum fit together — so that a reader can follow each event from cause, to delay, to cost.

    RelatedForensic Delay Analysis →Quantum Expert Witness →Disruption Expert Witness →

    How an engagement works

    1. 1

      Conflict check and initial call

      A short, confidential conversation about the project, the claim and the timetable. We complete a conflict check before receiving any documents.

    2. 2

      Agree the role and scope

      We agree whether we are reviewing or supporting a claim or response, or acting as independent expert, and the questions to be addressed.

    3. 3

      Records review

      We review the contract, notices, correspondence, programmes and cost records, and identify early where the evidence is strong and where it is missing.

    4. 4

      Analysis and report

      A clear analysis of entitlement, time and cost — as a claim review, a response review or, where instructed, an independent expert report.

    5. 5

      Resolution or escalation

      Support through negotiation, mediation or dispute board referral, or — where the dispute proceeds — expert evidence at arbitration or court.

    Independence and professional standards

    Claims work and expert evidence are different roles. A claims adviser helps a party present or respond to a claim; an expert witness owes an overriding duty to the tribunal or court. We are clear at the outset about which role we are performing.

    Where we give expert evidence, it is prepared to meet the expectations tribunals and courts place on experts in the region, including:

    • the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration (2020), where adopted;
    • the CIArb Protocol for the Use of Party-Appointed Expert Witnesses in International Arbitration;
    • the procedural rules of the relevant arbitral institution, such as the DIAC 2022 Arbitration Rules; and
    • the expert evidence requirements of the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts, QICDRC and BICC.

    Every expert report includes a declaration of independence and a statement of the expert's duty to the tribunal or court.

    Where we act

    Arbitration

    Institutional and ad hoc arbitrations across the GCC, including DIAC (Dubai), arbitrateAD (Abu Dhabi), SCCA (Saudi Arabia), QICCA (Qatar), BCDR (Bahrain), KCAC (Kuwait) and OAC (Oman), as well as ICC and other international rules with a GCC seat or GCC project.

    Offshore courts

    DIFC Courts (including the Technology and Construction Division), ADGM Courts, the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, and the Bahrain International Commercial Court.

    Where we act: independent expert witness services in arbitration across the GCC and in the DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts, QICDRC and BICC. We do not provide expert evidence in onshore court proceedings.

    View all GCC locations

    Sectors

    • Building and real estate
    • Infrastructure and transport
    • Rail and metro
    • Aviation
    • Energy and utilities
    • Renewable energy
    • Water and wastewater
    • Oil and gas
    • Industrial and process

    Who we work with

    Claims that arrive on your desk are often built for the project, not for a tribunal. We test entitlement, time and value early, flag gaps in the notices and records, and help shape the claim or defence into something that will hold up — with expert evidence to follow if needed.

    Discuss a claim

    What you receive

    • An early, candid view of entitlement, time and value
    • A review of notices and records against the contract's requirements
    • Analysis that links each event to delay and cost
    • A clear written review or independent expert report
    • Support through negotiation, ADR or formal proceedings

    Frequently asked questions

    Need a construction claims expert?

    Tell us about the project, the claim and the timetable. We'll complete a conflict check and come back to you promptly.

    Discuss a claim

    Please do not send confidential documents until a conflict check has been completed.

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