Adjudication is the fastest way to get a binding decision on a construction dispute in England and Wales. We prepare and run adjudications for referring and responding parties, and we tell you honestly whether yours is worth starting.
in Weeks, 
Not YearsAdjudication runs to a short, fixed timetable. Most of the work has to be done before the notice is served, which is why preparation decides most adjudications.
Every construction contract covered by the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 gives each party the right to refer a dispute to adjudication at any time. An independent adjudicator decides the dispute, usually within 28 days of receiving the referral.
The decision is binding unless and until the dispute is finally decided by agreement, arbitration or the court, and the courts enforce adjudicators’ decisions quickly. Most adjudications are about money, and many also involve time, because an extension of time is the answer to a claim for delay damages.
Whether you are bringing the claim or answering it, the work follows a fixed timetable. Choose your side to see what we do at each stage.
Benjamin Bjork is a quantity surveyor with a master’s degree in construction law and arbitration, awarded with distinction, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
We have prepared and answered claims on power, energy, infrastructure and building projects, so we understand the programmes, the records and the money as well as the contract.
Before you commit, get a written view on the strength of your claim, the jurisdiction risks, any missing evidence and the likely cost. Fixed fee, credited against further work.
Plain English guides and calculators from our sister site.
The timetable, the notices and what happens at each stage.
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Negotiation, mediation, adjudication, arbitration and court compared.
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What to do when you have not been paid, from notices to suspension.
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The referral must be served within 7 days of the notice of adjudication, and the adjudicator must reach a decision within 28 days of receiving it. That can be extended to 42 days with the referring party’s consent, or longer if both parties agree. Our free adjudication timetable calculator works out the dates.
Usually not. Each party normally pays its own costs of an adjudication, and the adjudicator decides who pays the adjudicator’s fees. That is why it is worth testing the case before you start.
No. Many adjudications are run by claims consultants, and the process is designed to be used without lawyers. On complex or high value disputes we work alongside solicitors and counsel where that is the better choice.
The court will normally enforce an adjudicator’s decision by summary judgment within a few weeks, and only very limited challenges, such as a lack of jurisdiction or a serious breach of natural justice, will stop it.
Send us one live problem, whether it is a payment notice, a claim, a delay or a dispute, and we will tell you where you stand and what to do next. No charge and no obligation.
Contract, commercial and claims consultants for construction and energy projects. Based in Doncaster and working across the UK and Europe.
Established 2009
FCIArb · LLM (Distinction)
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