Ankura's Tim Hampson recently shared insights during a panel discussion at the Canadian Institute's 18th Annual Conference on Navigating Risk in Construction Projects & Contracts, West, held in Calgary. The panel brought together leaders from across the owner, contractor, developer, and advisory landscape to examine how communication practices influence contract risk and overall project outcomes. The takeaways below reflect lessons that apply broadly across construction projects globally.
Construction projects are inherently complex, multidisciplinary, and high‑risk. While contracts are designed to allocate responsibility and manage uncertainty, disputes often arise not from the contract language itself, but from how teams communicate across the project lifecycle. From early planning through closeout, misalignment, unclear expectations, and delayed conversations can quietly compound risk long before formal claims ever emerge.
