Conference programme

The conference will be online and delivered in-house by FIDIC in May 2023.

DAY 1 -  Wednesday 10 May 2023

Time: 10:45 - 15:30 CET

The first day of the conference will hear from a keynote speaker who will set the scene for the two-day event and then the main sessions will explore some of the key issues facing contract users in the EMEA region. These include working with FIDIC contracts against a background of rising global inflation, conflict and increasing costs – and how the FIDIC contracts can assist in working under such conditions – and an overview and examples of EMEA regional project experiences with FIDIC contracts, with examples from the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Europe. Following these sessions, a series of discussion tables will look at the key issues of FIDIC contracts in the field and the engineer’s perspective, ESG and the net zero agenda and Arbitration. 

Wednesday, May 10, 2023
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
 
Nelson Ogunshakin James Mwangi
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM


Find out how the Doha Metro was delivered for the 2022 FIFA World Cup using the FIDIC '99 Yellow Book
 
Dive into the fascinating journey of the Doha Metro project, which was completed over a seven-year construction period, almost dispute-free and on budget. The metro system consists of 37 stations (31 underground and six at grade) and 140km of underground tunnel and track, all meticulously planned and executed in time for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
 
Our keynote speaker, Stephen Hibbert, Independent Arbitrator & Mediator at Hibbert.com, will share valuable insights on how the FIDIC '99 Yellow Book's terms played a central role in the successful outcome of this ambitious project. Gain a unique perspective on the practical application of FIDIC's contracts and learn from the challenges and triumphs of the Doha Metro project by booking your place today at the Official FIDIC Regional Contract Users’ Conference focused on the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
 

Stephen Hibbert
11:30 AM - 12:40 PM


FIDIC Guidance Memorandum on Effects of Inflation and Guidance to Users of FIDIC works contracts. 

Covid-19 and war in Ukraine have caused high levels of inflation globally. This session will look at how construction projects are affected by inflation, increases in cost of materials, labour and other inputs and what measures are available to project participants to manage cost increases. This session will examine application of price adjustment under FIDIC 1999 and 2017 contracts and look at how the cost adjustment clause is used in different jurisdictions relevant to the EMEA region.  

  • Increase in cost, labour and other inputs. 
  • Adjustment for changes, entitlement under FIDIC contract.  
  • Application of price adjustment formula. 
  • Regional experience and entitlements under the law. 

Moderator:

  • Vincent Leloup, Chairman, FIDIC Contracts Committee
Vincent Leloup Adriana Spassova Peter Collie Rob Morson Refki El-Mujtahed
12:40 PM - 12:45 PM
 
 
12:45 PM - 1:55 PM


This session will highlight the use of FIDIC contracts on public and private projects in the EMEA region.   

Moderator:

  • Jafar Khan, Member, FIDIC Contracts Committee 

Key topics:

  • The Saudi Giga-Projects – the use of FIDIC contracts in KSA
  • Red Sea Project, a luxury tourism destination setting new standards in sustainable development
  • Creating problems and challenges
  • Using FIDIC contracts in the UAE

 

Jafar Khan Suzannah Fairbairn Patrick McPherson Courtney Rothery Owain John Mills
1:55 PM - 2:15 PM
 
 
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM


This table will discuss the practical experience of the FIDIC Engineer in the field through the experiences of those who have worked in that role or advised on it from a legal and contractual perspective.
It will look at the practical aspects of the client/consultant relationship, administration of FIDIC contracts, the dual role of the Engineer, consultation with the parties and also reaching agreements and making determinations. Other areas to cover include checking quality, certifying payments, testing and administrating contracts, health and safety, dealing with claims, remedying defects and leading the project from inception to completion.

  

Martina Hess Nino Tsaturova Serdar Hakkacirmaz Mark Etheridge


With ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) becoming an increasingly important issue for the industry and also affecting contracts, as governments and clients insist on it more and more, this discussion table session should be well worth attending.
The construction industry, being one of the most resource consuming sectors, has a huge impact on sustainability and its transformation from a net polluter and resource consumer towards sustainability enabler is absolutely crucial.  
During this discussion table, participants and experts in the field will discuss current regional perspectives on ESG issues, the impact on achieving sustainability and the net zero agenda and how ESG can be embedded in tender evaluation criteria and contracts.   

Jeremy Glover Rami Ismail Hugo Fonseca Rebecca Major


This discussion table will discuss the issues arising in arbitration under FIDIC contracts and the regional experiences in dealing with arbitration, including the conduct of the arbitral proceedings and enforcement of arbitral awards.
Panellists, who are all experts in this field, will examine a range of relevant issues and take-aways from the session will include insights on the differing approaches in dealing with arbitration, including ad-hoc methods and the institutional approach and how the arbitrator’s role may change to reflect this. The discussion will also deal with the key role of experts, some of the latest developments around the enforcement of awards and the key components needed to offer certainty and confidence to arbitration in the region.

Husni Madi Fatima Balfaqeeh Mohamed Abdel Wahab Stephen Hibbert Asel El Housan
Time Zone: (UTC+02:00) Berlin, Bern [Change Time Zone]

DAY 2 - Thursday 11 May 2023

Time: 10:30 - 15:30 CET

The second day of the conference will open with an opportunity to hear from members of the FIDIC Contracts Committee about what is on their current and emerging agenda of work and includes an opportunity to ask questions of members. Main sessions will then focus on the practical use of FIDIC contracts, including an update on the 2022 reprints of the FIDIC contracts and the guide and a discussion on some of the use of 2017 contracts in the region. Another session will look at how the new FIDIC Green Book 2021 is helping to manage project risk with less resources and the final session will examine the ever-topical issue of Dispute Avoidance, offering a regional perspective on the use of dispute boards/DAABs by giving a comparative perspective on their use across the EMEA region. 

Thursday, May 11, 2023
10:30 AM - 11:25 AM


Discussion on what is on the agenda of the contracts committee.
 

Moderator:  

  • Vincent Leloup, Chair, FIDIC Contracts Committee 
Vincent Leloup Nael Bunni Mahmoud Abu Hussein Jafar Khan Husni Madi kiri Parr Adriana Spassova Peter Collie
11:25 AM - 12:35 PM


During the FIDIC Official International Contract Users Conference in London in December 2022, FIDIC published 2022 reprints of its 2017 construction contracts (Red, Yellow and silver book) and the guide.  

This session will present the 2022 reprints and the guide and discuss some of the use of 2017 contracts in the region. 

Moderator:  

  • Kiri Parr, Member FIDIC Contracts Committee 
kiri Parr Daduna Kokhreidze Christopher Seppälä Waleed El Nemr Siobhan Fahey
12:35 PM - 12:50 PM
 
 
12:50 PM - 2:00 PM


FIDIC Green Book 2021 is a versatile contract that can be used on projects where the perceived level of risk is low, and/or where construction parties wish to use a form which is simple to use and does not require significant contract administration and management resources.  

This session will discuss the key aspects of this contract in the regional context: 

  • Projects suitable for 2021 Green Book. 
  • Pricing structure. 
  • Use of the Engineer. 
  • Risk allocation. 
  • Insurance requirements. 
  • Pre-defined damages. 
  • Dispute resolution mechanism. 
  • Considerations when using the 2021 Green Book. 

Moderator:  

  • Mahmoud Abu Hussein, Vice Chair, FIDIC Contracts Committee 

   

Mahmoud Abu Hussein Vincent Leloup Yulia Martyushina China Irwin Nabeel Khokhar
2:00 PM - 2:05 PM
 
 
2:05 PM - 3:15 PM


FIDIC contracts place great emphasis on dispute avoidance. FIDIC has seen that the dispute boards play an important role in avoiding project disputes and strengthened their role in the 2017 contracts by introducing standing Dispute Avoidance/Adjudication Boards (DAABs) in all three contracts.  

This session will provide a comparative perspective on the use of the dispute boards across the EMEA region. This will include where they are used successfully and where the parties have removed the DAAB as part of their contract requirement. The session will also look at their treatment under various jurisdictions.  

The speakers will highlight the differences between the DAAB and Arbitration and how each of them are conducted. 

Moderator: 

  • Husni Madi, Member, FIDIC Contracts Committee 

 

Husni Madi Dean Ryburn Yasemin Cetinel Nicholas Gould Jason Smit
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM
 
Nelson Ogunshakin
Time Zone: (UTC+02:00) Berlin, Bern [Change Time Zone]