A significant proportion of construction claims in the UAE
involve issues relating to the delayed completion of a project.
One of the most problematic issues relating to construction
delay claims is that of concurrency. Indeed, concurrency causes
problems for many of those involved with construction claims, not
only contract administrators (e.g., architects and engineers), but
also for claims consultants, experts, lawyers and, apparently, even
some members of the judiciary.1 This article seeks to
discuss the issue of concurrency in both an international and
regional setting.2
The problems stem partly from the fact that there appears to be
no agreed definition of what is meant by concurrency or how it
should be interpreted and applied. Other problems arise when trying
to determine whether concurrency applies to simultaneous or
sequential3 events and whether it is the event or its
effect which is important.
