"Sole Option" Arbitration Provision In Construction Contract Can Be Good

Sometimes it is a race to the courthouse and dispute resolution for construction disputes can take many forms: litigation, mediation, arbitration, med-arb, dispute review boards, flip-a-coin, etc. Every now and then, I will review a construction contract where one of the parties . . . "at its sole option" . . . has the right to demand arbitration. This can be a good provision if you are the party who has that option.

In Archer Western Contractors, LLC v. Holder Construction Company, the Georgia Court of Appeals recently affirmed the trial court's decision to grant a contractor's motion to compel arbitration with a "sole option" provision. The main subcontract included the following disputes clause: