FIDIC Any Longer?

If they are heavily amended, are they FIDIC contracts any longer? Antonios Dimitracopoulos, FCIArb, Partner, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates LLP, writes a bi-monthly column for Climate Control Middle Easton legal affairs pertaining to the construction industry.

THE TREND

It is often the case that construction contracts in the UAE are largely based on the FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Works of Civil Engineering Construction (usually referred to as the Red book), either the 1987 or the 1999 edition.

It is also common for far too many amendments being made to Part I of the Red book – that is, its General Conditions – usually by adding rider clauses in Part II (the Conditions of Particular Application, also known as Particular Conditions).