Where Contracts Meet Construction Reality


Advisory in Construction & Industrial Projects

Active across the EU/EEA & MENA


Who Is Supported

Support is provided to project-driven construction and industrial companies operating in technically and contractually demanding environments and seeking structured protection and enforcement of their commercial interests.


The focus lies on companies active in complex contractual frameworks – typically governed by German- or English-language contracts – either without a dedicated in-house contract or claim management function, or where additional specialist expertise is required to complement and strengthen existing capabilities.




Industries

Projects are primarily supported in the following sectors:


  • Building Construction and Civil Engineering
  • Industrial and Process Plant Construction
  • Chemical Plants
  • Oil & Gas
  • Power Generation
  • Onshore and Offshore Wind Energy
  • EPC and Turnkey Projects
  • Large-Scale Infrastructure and Industrial Projects with international participation


Emphasis is placed on technically complex projects with elevated exposure to variation, delay, and dispute risks.



Typical Mandate Profile


Mandates frequently involve:


  • Construction and industrial companies of varying size and project scale
  • Small, medium-sized, and larger project organizations
  • General contractors and subcontractors
  • EPC contractors
  • Employers and project owners
  • Project developers
  • Consortium partners in international projects
  • Organizations seeking to establish, strengthen, or supplement contract and claim capabilities




These organizations typically operate in environments characterized by:

  • Complex risk allocation structures
  • Multi-layered contractual relationships
  • International project participation
  • Strict notice, documentation, and entitlement regimes
  • Increased exposure to delay, variation, and dispute scenarios




Project Environments Where Support Becomes Critical


Engagement is particularly relevant in projects affected by:


  • Delayed site access or late employer contributions
  • Ambiguous or contradictory contractual provisions
  • Extensions of time (EOT) and delay-related claims
  • Variation and payment disputes
  • Quantity and measurement discrepancies
  • Interface conflicts between multiple parties
  • Escalating dispute scenarios or preparation for formal dispute resolution proceedings



Support is equally relevant at earlier project stages, including:


  • Contract structuring and risk allocation prior to execution
  • Structured contractual framework assessment within tender processes
  • Analysis of risk distribution and interface exposure from a commercial and project governance perspective
  • Negotiation support in complex contractual environments







Services

Contracts & Claims Management

Independent advisory across complex construction and industrial projects, covering contract governance, claim strategy and defense, entitlement and root cause analysis, delay and concurrent delay assessment, extension of time evaluation, disruption analysis and structured evidentiary documentation, based on a holistic project-wide perspective extending beyond individual work packages and contractual interfaces.

Compliance & Project Governance

Advisory on contractual compliance, project risk governance and structured control environments in cross-border and multi-jurisdictional settings. Design and implementation of integrated compliance and risk management systems, collaborative establishment of project oversight frameworks, structured risk identification, evaluation and assessment of mitigation actions.

Contractual & Risk Advisory in Tender Processes

Strategic advisory on contract structuring, risk allocation and commercial exposure within tender and procurement processes in international construction and industrial projects. Structured assessment of contractual implications arising from environmental and social impact requirements, permitting regimes, equality and labour legislation, supply chain regulations, sanctions frameworks, financing conditions, lender requirements and other regulatory or statutory constraints across jurisdictions, ensuring legally and commercially robust project structures.

Dispute Avoidance, Resolution & Arbitration Support

Strategic preparation and structured case development in cross-border disputes, including arbitration support, evidentiary structuring, discovery management and forensic reconstruction of complex project histories. Upon engagement by the parties, early-stage dispute containment and de-escalation support aimed at preserving project continuity, including structured negotiation facilitation in technically and commercially contested environments.

Contract Framework Expertise

Experience under international standard forms and nationally governed construction contracts, including:


FIDIC Red Book (1st & 2nd Edition);

FIDIC Yellow Book (1st & 2nd Edition);

FIDIC Silver Book (1st & 2nd Edition);

FIDIC Green Book;

FIDIC Conditions of Subcontract;

DAAB proceedings and dispute board procedures;

Construction contracts governed by German civil law (BGB);
VOB;
HOAI;
NEC3 and NEC4;

IChemE;
BIMCO;

JCT.

Subcontract, EPC and EPCI bespoke contracts;

International joint venture agreements and consortium structures.

Discovery & Case Development

Structured document management, entitlement mapping and evidentiary analysis in complex disputes, based on the quality and availability of project records. Analytical discovery including identification of inconsistencies, contradiction mapping, causation tracing and systematic cross-referencing of contractual, technical and commercial documentation.

Selected Case Experience

Nuclear Decommissioning – Quantity and Pricing Dispute (EUR 1.5m)

Resolution of a mass deviation dispute during decommissioning works involving conflicting contractual pricing structures (lump sum vs. unit price under VOB framework). Strategic contractual interpretation, partial termination approach and recovery of overpaid amounts.

Delayed Site Handover – Remote Camp Logistics (EUR >2m)

Extension of Time and damage claim arising from delayed land handover in a high-security project environment. Structured allocation of employer and consortium responsibilities, including cost attribution and negotiated financial settlement.

Cross-Claims in Major EPC Project (EUR 25m Exposure)

Forensic contractual reconstruction in a multi-party dispute involving delayed design documentation and unmet pre-conditions. Prevention of escalation through structured claim defence and mutual withdrawal of claims.

Offshore Wind – Rotor Blade Damage (EUR >1m)

Liability analysis following severe equipment damage within a multi-tier subcontracting structure. Coordination across jurisdictions and insurance frameworks, including insolvency complications and cross-border liability assessment.

Late and Defective Geotechnical Report (Daily Exposure Approx. EUR 10k)

Project suspension resulting from delayed and contested soil investigation data. Risk reallocation strategy addressing mobilisation costs, expert validation disputes and contractual notice implications.

FIDIC Silver Book (2nd Edition) – DAAB Structural Risk (Multi-million USD Exposure)

Identification of unbudgeted Dispute Avoidance / Adjudication Board (DAAB) costs during tender. Strategic assessment of associated risks, including adverse tender-law implications and their interplay with procurement constraints, contractual obligations and contractor negotiation dynamics.

Forensic Site Investigation – Material Diversion & Internal Fraud

Identification and structured investigation of systematic copper cable diversion and payroll manipulation within a large construction project. Establishment of evidentiary framework, risk containment measures and strengthening of compliance controls to prevent recurrence.

Owner’s Engineer – Contract & Claim Management Function

Appointment as Contract and Claim Management expert within the Owner’s Engineer team. Oversight of contractual communications, deadline control and structured evaluation of variations and claims under EPC frameworks. Reporting to project leadership and implementation of focused training measures to enhance contractual compliance and risk governance.

Critical Supply Chain Sourcing & Prequalification

Advisory support in identifying and prequalifying suppliers within critical supply chains. Risk-focused evaluation of technical capacity, contractual robustness and compliance exposure to ensure resilience in high-value EPC environments.

Environmental & Social Compliance Gap – Funding-Driven Project Exposure

Identification of structural gaps in the integration of environmental and social impact requirements within tender documentation and contractual frameworks, including misalignment between lender-driven compliance obligations, contractual risk allocation and contractor pricing, resulting in inconsistent implementation, unpriced obligations and absence of monitoring mechanisms during execution. Structured early risk assessment highlighting exposure to lender intervention, project slowdown and significant downstream cost escalation.

Contract & Claim Management System 
Implementation

Design and implementation of a structured contract and claim management framework within a project organization. Development of internal processes, documentation standards and targeted training for project personnel to strengthen contractual compliance and early risk identification.

Engineer Role Alignment under FIDIC Frameworks

Analyses and identification of potential misalignments between the Engineer’s contractual determination duties and practical project governance structures. Assessment of role boundaries, procedural consistency and independence safeguards to support balanced claim evaluation, transparent determinations and long-term dispute resilience.

International Arbitration – Project Reconstruction & Claims Enforcement

Engagement alongside an international law firm in high-value arbitration proceedings. Forensic reconstruction of the complete project framework, structured analysis of contractual entitlements and systematic evidentiary coordination. Contribution to the preparation of submissions resulting in the successful recovery of the majority of contractual claims.

Contract Stabilisation & Structured Claim Management

Engagement as external contractual point of contact and claim lead for a small to mid-sized construction company operating within a multi-party project environment characterised by increasing notice, documentation and entitlement pressure exceeding internal contractual capacity. Structured assessment of contractual exposure, establishment of disciplined notice and claim procedures, reconstruction of project developments and causation sequences, and systematic coordination of entitlement positioning during ongoing execution. Contribution to the stabilisation of the commercial framework through structured entitlement preservation and controlled management of claim and counterclaim scenarios.

Contact:


SIA VIDOCQ
+371.27005468
+49.15678400042
[email protected]
www.sia-vidocq.com