The construction industry has always been characterised by a high volume of disputes for several reasons. The 2017 Arcadis report highlights some interesting findings based on their engagements in the Middle East over the previous twelve months. Arcadis (the well-known and authoritative consultancy firm) observed an increase in the number of disputes in the Middle East, which has certainly been influenced by the current economic situation in GCC countries. 

According to the most recent report issued by Deloitte, infrastructure investment in the GCC has remained high in the last three consecutive years and registered a record number in 2014 at US$171 billion.

There is a realization from governments of the dependence of their economies on public spending on projects and the necessity to maintain a certain level of spending and activity so as not to undermine future growth.

The third Annual General Meeting of WLA took place in Dubai from 13 to 14 April 2017.

Three years ago a small number of independent Law Firms (including BDA Studio Legale) decided to establish a Network different from the thousands of Lawyers' Network already existing.

The 2016 Report from the Italian Association of Contractors shows that international construction projects are a big portion of their revenues. The Report highlights also that this is a trend which involves not only the big companies but also the SME companies.

The analysis of the domestic and international revenues has been conducted on 38 Italian companies (with turnover between €50 Million and above  €500 Million) and clearly shows an increase in international construction projects and at the same time a decrease of the revenues generated domestically. 

In mid-big sized projects, it is a crucial to understand how to subcontract part of the works especially in an international construction project. The various issues involved in subcontracting part of the works can determine the success or the failure of a project and/or can massively increase the financial risks and/or losses for either the Employer or the Contractor.

In international construction projects, the Employer (and certainly the Contractor) may suffer the consequences of a wrong selection of the Subcontractor and this may have an impact on the timing for completion or on the quality of works executed.