Construction Contract Claims and Methods of Avoiding Contract Litigation through Dispute Resolution Alternatives

Abstract

In recent years, construction contract claims have grown at an alarming rate. It has become increasingly more difficult for contracting parties to achieve bilateral agreements in an equitable, effective and timely manner (6). Litigating disputes is being abused as a cure-all means within the construction industry, generating a disproportionate growth in court cases. Relaying on the legal system to judge and resolve a contractual problem is counterproductive to getting the job done. It is also an extremely time consuming and expensive undertaking for all parties. Therefore, it behooves every contracting party to strive for timely completion of the work. Resolving differences `%in-house" when possible and avoiding litigation at all cost is a worthwhile endeavor. This can be accomplished through cooperation, meaningful, open-minded negotiations and a team approach to managing the contract execution. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the reasons behind the increasing trend toward adversarial contract relationships and claims. It also looks at possible disputes resolution techniques that can be used to short circuit the costly and exhaustive path to litigation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA268757

Entities

People

  • Joseph C. Lavigne

Organizations

  • University of Florida

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Business Administration
  • Contract Administration
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Fixed Price Contracts
  • Judiciary
  • Law
  • Management Personnel
  • Negotiations
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Risk Management
  • Standards
  • Teamwork

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Systems Analysis and Design