Advice on procurement strategies, type of contract and amendments to standard forms of contract and the terms in bespoke contracts.

Precontract advice on amendments to contracts made by others and risk associated with contract amendments.

Advice on the financial control of projects from the outset of contract until the conclusion of the final account.

Advice on the planning and programming of the design and construction of works.

Project monitoring in which the client receives real-time reporting of the progress of the design and construction of the works against programme and contract. This includes the identification of causes of delay – which can allow the client to give notice of delay and mitigate the effect of delays on the completion of the works.

Staff resourcing; additional staff resource can be supplied to cover short term or long term need.

Advice: advice on points of difference or dispute in order to allow for negotiation and early resolution.

Claims: advice and preparation of claims as permitted under most forms of contract (or outside the contract). Claims are most often brought for delay, disruption, changes and other matters of quantum. Assistance from clients is welcome and can make claims more economic to bring. Advice in defence of claims is of course also available.

Adjudication: RBD has extensive experience in both referring and defending adjudication proceedings. We are able to obtain expert reports concerning time, money and quality and appropriate; if necessary, we are also able to obtain the Opinion of Leading Counsel on questions of law.

Arbitration: RBD has extensive experience in the conduct of arbitrations as well as assisting with the enforcement of awards arising from same.

Litigation support: although we do not act in the courts, we are able to assist in litigation proceedings, for example in the enforcement of adjudicator’s decisions.

Expert witness reporting: we have provided expert reports and have been cross examined on the matters of delay and disruption before various tribunals.

We are able to provide lectures on matters which are relevant to construction, such as the law of contract or the operation of a contract. We are also able to design lectures to address issues which are of specific concern to clients, such as how to keep and use site records for claims purposes. Such lectures can utilise client’s past or ongoing contracts as case studies.

For a pre-agreed annual fee, we will be able to respond at short notice to contractual issues a client might have. This is useful if for example a meeting between contracting parties is imminent and advice on the issues to be discussed is needed quickly. Any surplus fee can be used to report back on the issues dealt with during the preceding period and or giving seminars on same. Such feedback should reduce the chances of these issues repeating themselves in future.

RBD has worked with clients including everything from extensions to domestic housing, to hotels, leisure centres, commercial and office buildings.

This has included work on pipeline, bridge, road, rail, airport and marine projects. Such projects have included assessing delays on several pipeline projects which were being constructed simultaneously and the installation of multiple communications systems into a new airport terminal.

RBD has worked with employers, main contractors and subcontractors on projects as varied as the refurbishment of mechanical and electrical services in a partially occupied building, the design and construction of energy centres and associated infrastructure, an ethanol refinery and the construction of production lines for the food and drinks industry.