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TN/AUD/06
Edition 2027 · effective 1 January 2027

For projects & infrastructure

A project that stops costs everyone. A dispute should not stop it.

Construction, energy and infrastructure projects run on long contracts, many interfaces and public scrutiny. Dispute boards and Standing Neutrals resolve issues on site, in real time, while the work continues.

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§ 01What you really need

Five needs, in your words.

Drawn from how people in your position actually describe the problem, not from procedure.

(Needs)

Real-time resolution

Decisions while the work continues.

Technical credibility

Neutrals who understand engineering and programme.

Cash flow

Payment disputes settled before they stop the chain.

Public accountability

Processes that stand up to audit.

Lower claims at completion

Fewer issues saved for the end.

What usually goes wrong: saving every claim for the end of the project; leaving the dispute board unfunded; arguing liability before understanding the technical cause.

(Avoid)

Frame your question Commissioning guides

§ 02The cost of waiting

What the evidence says.

Sourced and dated. Use the calculator to estimate your own.

No. 1

The most common cause of construction disputes, year after year: failure to properly administer the contract.

Arcadis Global Construction Disputes Report, via Pinsent Masons · 2018 ↗
~99%

Disputes referred to dispute boards that were resolved without litigation or arbitration, in an industry survey.

Dispute Board Federation International Survey (2008), via Wikipedia · 2008 · Industry survey; methodology not published. ↗

Estimate what a conflict is costing you →

§ 03Evaluation for you

5 questions people in your position bring to an evaluator.

Major project health check01Projects & operationsEvaluation PanelWill this project deliver its scope, on what timeline and at what cost, on the evidence today?What caused the delay02Projects & operationsEarly Neutral EvaluationWhat caused this delay, and how much of it does each event explain?A technical failure03Projects & operationsClarity DeepView™What is the most likely technical cause of this failure?A procurement or tender award04Projects & operationsEvaluation PanelOn the published criteria and the evaluation record, are there indicators that this tender departed from its stated process, and what specialist or statutory review route should follow?Community impact of a project05Public bodies & institutionsEvaluation PanelWhat will this project mean for the community, and are the claimed benefits and mitigations credible?

§ 04Situations you may face

6 situations where a Neutral helps.

A live project under strain01Projects & contractsDispute Board · Standing Neutral · Neutral EvaluationThe project must keep moving. The people delivering it have stopped trusting each other.Payment tension02Projects & contractsNeutral Evaluation · Expert DeterminationWork is done. Payment is not. The supply chain is waiting.Technical interface problem03Projects & contractsExpert Determination · Neutral Evaluation · FacilitationTwo systems, two contractors, one interface that does not work.Long-term contract friction04Projects & contractsStanding Neutral · Facilitation · Neutral EvaluationThe contract was signed for ten years. The world changed in two.A development the community disputes05Community & public lifeFacilitation · Neutral Evaluation · MediationA new road, plant or building is planned. The people who live there were not part of the plan.Public–private project interface06Community & public lifeStanding Neutral · Dispute Board · Neutral EvaluationA public authority and a private partner share a project, and different accountabilities.

§ 05Roles that fit

The Neutral roles people like you use most.

  1. Dispute BoardWho keeps a major project moving when issues arise?01
  2. Standing NeutralWho is there before the problem becomes a dispute?02
  3. Expert DeterminationWho settles this defined question, quickly and finally?03

§ 06How we can help

Evaluation services for people in your position.

Scoped fixed fee or capped day rates

Evaluation Panels

Two or three qualified evaluators from different disciplines, one chairing, who report jointly. A selective, high-value format for major projects, AI systems, institutional reviews and public decisions, where specialist recruitment and governance are demanding.

Annual retainer plus Snapshots as used

Standing Evaluator

A qualified evaluator appointed at the start of a relationship, kept informed, and available to give an independent view whenever a question arises. Activation rules, response times and information access are written into the agreement.

Fixed fee by complexity, quoted after scope review

Early Neutral Evaluation

The established dispute practice: a confidential, non-binding view of the merits and the likely range of outcomes, given to the parties together, so they can settle, narrow the issues or proceed with realistic expectations. Courts in England and Wales, Singapore and the United States use it. Procedure, consent and whether the view is without prejudice are agreed in advance.

First stepsFor projects & infrastructure
Three thingsto do this week.
01 Include a dispute board or Standing Neutral in the contract
02 Fund regular site visits
03 Refer issues early, while they are small
Clarity first · keep options open · make fairness visible

§ 07Frame your question

Describe it. Get the evaluation question.

Written for projects & infrastructure. Leave out names and confidential details.

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The answer

Choose who you are and ask anything. The engine answers from the institution’s own guidance, in plain language.

§ 08Read next

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