Mediation in construction disputes

By Lyle Charles

Construction projects normally take an extremely long time period to complete, not to mention a lot of manpower and money to properly finish. This long time period means that there will be a lot of potential chances for internal disputes and disagreements, especially for the higher ups. These disputes can be about anything, but more often than not, the external pressures of making budget, construction delay claims and deadlines can add up to the stress of management, causing rash decisions, eventually ending up in disputes. Some construction firms have noticed this as a normal occurence in this kind of industry and have taken advantage of the situation and have started to offer construction mediation for the parties involved.

Being a third party to a dispute can potentially be a complicated task as emotions are running high and voices can be raised, as the mediator for such discussions, it’s important for the team of facilitators to keep a steady head and take into account nothing but the facts of the situation. Having an emotional investment in one side or another basically defeats the purpose of having third party facilitators in the first place, and should be avoided if possible. It’s also important to note that as a representative handles more and more of these kinds of cases, that person’s ability to compartmentalize emotions and properly analyze the situation improves as well, giving the employer a clearer picture of what the situation is and what the firm needs to do to resolve it.

Lyle Charles is a construction consultancy firm that hires experienced professionals and steel fabrication experts to cater to your construction project needs.