6 FIDIC Contract Users’ Newsletter
Familiarity of FIDIC contracts makes them so respected DWF managing partner KIRK DURRANT spoke to us about his experience working with FIDIC contracts in Qatar and the Gulf region. Managing partner for lawyers DWF in Qatar, Kirk Durrant, is widely experienced in the FIDIC suite of contracts and publicprivate partnerships across a number of business sectors and has expertise in claims management, negotiation Qatar has a very ambitious infrastructure development programme. and dispute resolution. His there was this belief that in significant over-modification experience includes advising order to do that they needed of FIDIC documents. on many major infrastructure to get new standard forms However, 85-95% of the developments for public that would be familiar to contract documents used and private sector entities in those contractors and so in the market are based on Qatar including airport, port that started this wave of FIDIC,” said Durrant. and rail projects and he has everyone moving towards Durrant said that all represented organisations in using FIDIC documents of the big infrastructure the real estate and hospitality and that has become the projects in the region are sectors in the Gulf region. norm,” he explained. using FIDIC documents, When asked about his In terms of his including the large bridges, experience of working with experience of working stadium construction around FIDIC standard forms of with clients, what is the forthcoming World Cup contract and why they are that they value working and major road infrastructure so popular in the market, about working with projects. Asked what it is that he made it clear that the FIDIC documents? is attractive documents “Familiarity,” Durrant about FIDIC have become “I have been in says unhesitatingly. contracts and accepted by Qatar for around 12 “Because they’ve become why have the industry in so prevalent in the market they got such the region over years and FIDIC has become the primary and practitioners are traction in a number of familiar with them, they the market, years. “I have standard contract know what clauses they Durrant said been in Qatar form of choice in the that familiarity want to change and they for around market.” know what clauses work was key for 12 years and and don’t work in the market. users. FIDIC has “They also know what “I think it’s primarily become the primary standard clients are familiar with and because when the country set contract form of choice in what they are comfortable out on what I think everyone the market,” he said. “The with. These are contracts would agree is a pretty only issue is that because of that are easy to navigate and ambitious infrastructure civil law jurisdiction, sharia easy to work with because development programme, principles within the law everyone is pretty much they wanted to attract big and the public sector driving familiar with them,” he said. international contractors and the market, you see a pretty
