Construction World May 2016

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NEW ENERGY to construction DISPUTE RESOLUTION Brown and Associates is bringing a new energy to the construction dispute resolution field. We spoke to founder and managing director Terry Brown about what his company is doing differently.

to the Construction Industry Development Board Act which will intro- duce prompt payment legislation and a Statutory Adjudication process into the South African market. “Internationally there has been a very strong focus on construc- tion dispute resolution over the past two decades. In several markets statutory adjudication has proven remarkably effective as a fast track process specifically designed to address construction disputes. Those who understand the process and are familiar with its implementation as a statutory practice in several jurisdictions, have little doubt as to the enormous benefits the process will bring to the South African market. Brown and Associates has extensive expertise and capabilities in adjudication and we are undoubtedly a market leader in delivering a wide-ranging service related to the process,” says Brown. It is clear that the introduction of a statutory adjudication process in South Africa will revolutionise the construction dispute resolution field as it has done in every market in which it has been implemented, including, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. There are concerns that the process has a negative impact on less judi- cious dispute resolution methods, such as mediation. “We understand the concerns in this regard, but our extensive research has clearly demonstrated that statutory adjudication has in fact caused a notable increase in mediation applied to address construction disputes. This results from the time limit imposed by the Adjudication process. Once parties realise that there is a specified time for dealing with a dispute, they are far more likely to seek the least The teams were scored on materials used, construction time, installation time, testing time and efficiency of the irrigation model. A winning model was required to move four styrofoam balls from their designated levels by means of overflowing it with water. Fluor engineers competed with three groups of eight learners. The winning teamwas Ivory Park High School 1 and Fluor’s Botelus Edulus team. As part of the outreach efforts, Fluor engineers visited three local Fluor-supported high schools.“The purpose of the visits was to raise aware- ness of engineering contributions to society and to introduce engineering career opportunities to mathematics and science students,” added Tootla. Education, particularly the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), is a foundational component of success in the 21 st century and crucial for society’s ability to innovate and solve problems. “Engineers working at Fluor turn ideas into reality, improve people’s lives and apply science to practical problems,” concluded Pieter Venter, Fluor’s engineering manager.

Based in Cape Town, the company serves the South African and greater African construction industries with a strong presence in multiple markets. When asked what separated Brown and Associates from other construction dispute resolu- tion firms, he responded: “We believe that construction disputes are best resolved by expe- rienced construction professionals. The key attribute which enables a dispute resolver to effectively address construction disputes is a thorough and detailed knowledge and understanding of construction principles and practices. These are not things learned overnight. Ours is a complex industry and it takes years of dedicated service to gain a comprehensive level of expertise that ensures the insights required to efficiently address construction disputes. Our dispute resolvers have the necessary construction experience and legal expertise.” Most industry participants are aware of the proposed amendments > Employees participated in educational outreach activities, recog- nition events and the popular Friendly Competition. Learners from Ivory Park High School, Kwena Molapo High School and Mitzvah School were invited to take part in the Friendly Competition at the Fluor office in Woodmead. “This year’s Friendly Competition design was derived from The Banaue Rice Terraces (referred to as The EighthWonder of theWorld),” saidMohamed Zahir Tootla, Fluor process engineer. The Banaue Rice Terraces were carved into the Philippine mountains of Cordillera Northern Island of Luzon archipelago. Currently, The Banaue faces problems such as erosion and drought. Friendly Competition teams were tasked with irrigating the multi-layer terraces. Teams constructed a terrace irrigation model with different levels of basin to catch and transport water. The objective was to successfully irri- gate each level of the terraces by means of overflowing water to each level. Fluor South Africa recently participated in Engineers Week 2016, an annual week-long global event that celebrates engineering excellence. About Fluor Corporation Fluor Corporation is a global engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance company that designs, builds and maintains capital-efficient facilities for its clients on six continents. For more than a century, Fluor has served clients by delivering innovative and integrated solutions for our clients in the energy, chemicals, government, industrial, infrastructure, mining and metals, and power market sectors. With headquarters in Irving, Texas, Fluor ranks 136 on the FORTUNE 500 list with revenue of USD18,1-billion in 2015 and has 59 000 employees worldwide. >

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CELEBRATING ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE

The winning team, from left: Mohamed Zahir Tootla (Fluor), Robert Chauke (Ivory Park High School), Khoza Dolly, Machele Thabo, Matlala Nepo and Sihlangu Asanda,Terrence Lamola (Ivory Park High School) and Pieter Venter (Fluor).

CONSTRUCTION WORLD MAY 2016