Construction Adjudicator
An Adjudicator is the title given to a qualified professional trained in the alternative dispute resolution method of Construction Adjudication.
In (most) construction contracts, all parties are entitled to refer a dispute to adjudication under The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
An Adjudicator therefore offers their commercial services as an independent person to judge a dispute between contractual parties in a construction project.
The Adjudicator will review the presented arguments from the referring party and the responding party and issue a decision within the prescribed 28 days.
Adjudicators decisions are binding and both parties must abide by the decision. If the decision is not accepted by one party they must abide by it but can still refer the dispute to Arbitration or the Courts System.
What's in this Article ?
Qualities of an Adjudicator
An Adjudicator must be independent and non biased. They need to be ‘above the fray’ and be objective whilst reviewing the merits of each parties arguments.
Whilst an Adjudication need not be as educated nor experienced as a Judge they must have sufficient educational and professional qualification plus practical experience. For example, a degree in Construction plus qualified as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor plus twenty years of experience.
Time management skills are essential for an Adjudicator as typically they will manage several disputes simultaneously. In practice, a successful Adjudicator will have two disputes a month on top of their busy consultancy practice. And family life, walking the dog and so on.
Interested in Adjudication ?
If you are interested in becoming an Adjudicator you must ask yourself this question ? Why ? If you are seduced by the lure of money (Adjudicators get well compensated) you need to stop. There are hundreds of well educated experienced adjudicators competing for work. You need some form of Degree plus a professional qualification plus lots of experience, Otherwise you will not get work. Lots of people pay thousands for an Adjudication course and devote at least a year of part-time study. And for what ? A low chance of being appointed as an Adjudicator ahead of all the other Adjudicators.
Stravelles run an affordable online video course on Adjudication. It gives students a great overview of the Adjudication process from start to finish. And it also allows the student to run their own Adjudication process as Referring Party or Responding party. This eliminates the need for costly legal fees for simple disputes.