Are Dispute Boards the Future of Dispute Resolution in the International Construction Industry?

This paper will seek to determine the future trends of dispute boards in the international construction industry. Its focus shall be on the FIDIC books as the drafting standard for the international construction industry. The discussion will be in two parts. The first part of the article analyses the scope of dispute boards. This is done by examining the different types of dispute boards and trying to identify why a party may select one type over another. The purpose of this analysis is to appreciate the functioning of dispute boards in the international construction industry. The second part proposes a future of the international construction industry with regards to the challenges faced by the implementation of dispute boards. It looks at several practical issues and identifies the most likely future trends of dispute boards in the specified industry. Finally a conclusion shall be made, taking into consideration the discussion and analysis in the first and second part