Australia: Contract says Arbitrate? So arbitrate! Kenneth Martin J. sets out broad arbitral powers in Tensioned Concrete case

Property developers, construction contractors and others involved in the construction industry are frequent users of arbitration. The only limits to the nature and complexity of commercial disputes that can be referred to arbitration are the limits set by the arbitration agreement from which arbitrators (with help from both statute and judge-made law) derive their powers.

Arbitrators' powers are defined broadly in both statutes and contracts

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Expert Determination Clauses: A Tailored Alternative for Construction Projects?

In Short

The Situation: Construction disputes face unique challenges in addition to those faced in other types of commercial disputes. Parties often agree to adopt independent expert determination as a means of managing these challenges.

The Concern: Many boiler-plate independent expert determination clauses are not sufficiently tailored to the nature of construction projects or the particular circumstances of the project.

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