by Chris Larkin

The construction market in the UAE poses many challenges: the number and scale of projects have generated a tremendous demand for construction services; the weakening of the US dollar against other major currencies coupled with other inflationary factors has further increased the cost of construction; and the potential impact on the global economy caused by difficulties in the US sub-prime market has created uncertainty amongst investors. These issues give rise to particular risks for developers and contractors alike. [Read the rest of this entry...]

by Conrad Egbert

A lack of government indices and statistics for the UAE construction sector is making it difficult to incorporate ‘escalation clauses’ into contracts, according to industry experts. [Read the rest of this entry...]

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by Steven Hunt

sense that, for many contractors, ‘taking over’ is seen as the moment when the proverbial foot can come off the gas – the time when the contractor is finally relieved of the burden of delivering the project. For a contractor the process of taking over is an important one as the care of the works will pass to the employer and the employer’s entitlement to recover liquidated damages will cease. It is not, however, the end of the story for the contractor as he will remain liable for defective workmanship and materials beyond handover. [Read the rest of this entry...]

In a large project, all communication takes place in context of an overall Communication Management Plan. Status meetings and status reporting are required, just as for a medium-size project. In addition, there are many other types of proactive communication that need to be considered. This creative and proactive communication is laid out in a Communication Management Plan, which is created as follows. [Read the rest of this entry...]

by Ian Ingram-Johnson
 Memories of the GCC, being an island of opportunity for contractors to shelter from worldwide economic storms, are now distant in most people’s minds.

The contracting landscape is so changed from a year ago that it is barely recognisable. Simply put, there is less money for clients, less business for contractors and the fear of insolvency for certain key players. [Read the rest of this entry...]

The Quality Management Plan describes how you will ensure that the client’s quality requirements are achieved and to describe the processes and activities that will be put into place to ensure that quality deliverables are produced. The Quality Management Plan allows you to understand when the deliverables are complete as well as how to show they are correct. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Stakeholders are specific people or groups who have a stake or an interest in the outcome of the project. Normally stakeholders are from within the company and could include internal clients, management, employees, administrators, etc. A project may also have external stakeholders, including suppliers, investors, community groups and government organizations. [Read the rest of this entry...]

The Project Charter holds the information that you uncovered in the project definition process. The Project Charter is written by the project manager and approved by the project sponsor to show that there is an agreement on the work to be completed. [Read the rest of this entry...]

You hear of project managers that manage multiple large projects and small projects. The question arises as to how many projects can be effectively managed at one time. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Martin Preston* of Norton Rose focuses on payment issues that need to be considered between the Grantor** and Company*** in relation to concession agreements ranging from utility developments to large-scale property developments in the region. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Hilti, the Liechtenstein-based construction solutions provider, has launched its unique range of laser measuring tools that aim to redefine the benchmark for performance and reliability. Equipped with Pulse Power that can emit up to one million laser pulses in a single second, the three new laser range meters - the PD 40, PD 42 and PD 4 models - overshadow all other tools of this kind in terms of measuring performance, reliability and ruggedness, according to Sam Winkler, product manager for measuring systems at the Hilti Regional Office for Middle East and South Asia, located in Jebel Ali Free Zone in the UAE. [Read the rest of this entry...]