Construction projects, with their intricate contracts, multiple stakeholders, tight deadlines, and complex technicalities, are fertile ground for disputes. When disagreements arise, traditional litigation can be a protracted, expensive, and relationship-damaging ordeal. This is where mediation steps in as a powerful and increasingly preferred alternative.
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How Mediation Builds Bridges in Construction Projects?Read More »
By Dr Samer Skaik
Generative AI is everywhere these days. It’s like having a super-smart assistant who can whip up a report or summarise a journal article in seconds. For professionals chasing deadlines and students grinding through assignments, AI can feel like a lifeline. But it’s not all smooth sailing. Lean on it too much, and you might lose your spark. Ignore it, and you could get left behind. This article is about finding the sweet spot—using AI to boost your game without letting it take over. Let’s unpack how to stay sharp, stay sceptical, and keep ahead of the curve. …
Gen AI: Your Ally or Your Downfall? Making It Work for YouRead More »
By Dr Samer Skaik
The construction industry, known for its complexity and high-pressure environment, has recently seen a growing interest in the application of Emotional Intelligence (EI) within project management. A recent study has explored this emerging field, revealing both the current state of research and providing recommendations for future studies. …
By Dr Samer Skaik
Insolvency is a pressing concern within the Australian Construction Industry (ACI), where businesses face significantly higher risks compared to other sectors. This challenge is not unique to Australia, as construction industries globally experience similar issues. However, the causes of insolvency can vary widely across different regions, prompting the need for tailored approaches to predict and manage these risks.
A recent study has shed light on the critical factors contributing to insolvency within the ACI, offering a theoretical framework that prioritizes these factors based on their relative importance. This framework, derived from a rigorous systematic literature review (SLR) and supplemented by data from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), highlights both quantitative and qualitative factors essential for predicting insolvency. …
By Dr Samer Skaik
With the unprecedented outbreak of the coronavirus across the globe, many universities and schools have been initiating projects to transform their operations from ‘face to face’ to virtual environments aided by various technologies. This call seems to be inevitable since the outbreak will continue to evolve for at least another six months. In this context, three demanding questions come into play:
…COVID-19: How to make the transformation into online operations more effective?Read More »
By Dr Samer Skaik
Very recently, I have launched a channel on Youtube. This channel aims to provide integrated, handy and focused educational materials for those interested in developing their competencies in construction project management, professional practice and leadership. My aim is to help raise the bar by providing sound, solid and up-to-date knowledge for students, graduates and professionals in the construction sector. The channel, in addition to the videos, includes other interesting educational playlists. You can display the playlists chronologically if you are keen to develop a robust understanding in the field and advance progressively towards mastering the subject. …
We are very delighted to launch the Inaugural Mentoring Programme targeting graduates and early-career professionals in the construction industry.
This is a free service initiated and operated by CMGuide and led by CMGuide Founder (Dr Samer Skaik). The mentoring programme is targeting ambitious graduates and early-career professionals in the construction industry. The programme is only available in Australia. We encourage prospective and interested mentors in Australia who have the experience in any of the mentoring areas to join our ‘Mentors Panel’ ASAP so we can serve and enrol more mentees in the programme. Interested mentors should mention the mentoring area and availability arrangement so we can properly match mentees (protégé) with appropriate mentors. It is completely up to the mentors and mentees once to discuss and agree the mentoring arrangement during the mentoring year such as mentoring duration (not less than 6 months), communication method, frequency of meetings, level of support, etc. …
By MATTHEW SHOWLER and PARNIKA CHATURVEDI
The UAE is one of the fastest-growing economies, where the construction industry is the third-largest sector after oil and trade. More than 6,000 construction companies operate in the country, with most construction activities taking place in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The emergence of the industry in the UAE dates back to the 1950s in Dubai when Sheikh Saaed bin Maktoum, together with his son Rashid, decided to transform the emirate into a ‘permanent haven for coastal shipping’ and launched the Dubai Creek improvement project. The construction industry’s growth rate is expected to remain positive, as a result of increased government expenditure on developing infrastructure and industrial construction in the country. …
By STUART JORDAN
In the eyes of many people in our industry, the Middle East construction industry is old fashioned and not very open to new ideas. This view implies that new ideas are good ideas – which isn’t always the case.
Certainly, in the case of construction procurement models, the Gulf remains quite attached to single-stage competitive lowest price tender selection. Everyone knows where they stand and, as between employers and contractors, they stand quite far apart from each other! Relationships tend to be arm’s-length and driven by the formalities of the tender process. And the terms of the contracts formed in this way tend also to be tougher on contractors than we see in other parts of the world. …
You can benefit from the FIDIC Contracts Committee’s direct guidance by attending this year’s official FIDIC International Contract Users event. They’ll be joined by world-class lawyers, top engineers and contract users from a range of leading companies to make sure that delegates go away with a comprehensive and balanced understanding of the latest contract developments. …
FIDIC’s biggest Contract Users’ event is just two weeks awayRead More »
By Samer Skaik
In complex high rise projects, employers tend to fast track works where construction can begin while design is still incomplete following three main phases of procurement. Shoring system and piling are firstly procured and awarded to an enabling contractor. Upon completion of enabling works, main design and traditional tendering of the second phase can be concluded in order for main construction works to commence on site. While main work is progressing, design of specialist packages will be completed and nominated subcontractors are appointed in a timely manner shaping the third phase of procurement. Such common phased construction usually results in substantial time saving in project life cycle. However, many fast track projects suffer time and cost overruns due to inherent risks of fast tracking such as design deficiencies and ambiguities in risk allocation between involved parties. This paper aims to investigate pros and cons of fast track procurement approach for complex high rise projects and examine how relevant risks are allocated among enabling contractors, main contractors, nominated subcontractors and project consultants in theory and practice. …
By By Vasanth Kumar
It is understandable that no construction project is risk-free as risk is inherent in the contracting business. Project risks could arise from factors such as natural, political, social, economic, legal, and general behaviours. Whilst risks can be managed, minimised, shared, transferred, or accepted, they cannot just be simply ignored.
The common ways of handling risks in construction contracts are by means of due diligence, insurance, quantifying damages, indemnity, and enforcing liability caps of parties. …
