September 18, 2014
The importance of Oman's Civil Code and its impact on construction contracts was discussed at a seminar hosted by Curtis Oman at Grand Hyatt Muscat on Tuesday.
Payment delays and contract disputes remain major issues in the country, experts said during the seminar.
It was the second seminar in a series of five and held in conjunction with global construction consultancy, Driver Group, and the Chartered Institute of Building in Oman.
Curtis, Driver Group and the Chartered Institute of Building discussed the codification of the Omani Construction Law, new standard forms and allocation of risk.
Oman Civil Code and its impact on construction contracts (Muqawala) was discussed by the speakers. Andrew Smith, operational director special projects, Driver Oman, spoke about the importance of construction contract programmes while Brian Greenhalgh, chairman of the Oman centre of the Chartered Institute of Building, touched on the analysis of delay and risk allocation in construction contracts.
Smith said, "It is through these platforms that employers and contractors gain knowledge and encourage discussion. In Oman, payment remains a big issue as contractor payments usually get delayed. Contractual disputes are another issue. I think the whole framework should be properly set up, and quick and effective ways of resolving disputes should be adopted. There needs to be frameworks to monitor progress of projects."
Greenhalgh said, "The issue with risk management is allocating risk. Payments is an issue like in any construction industry. Foreign investors will invest once they see long term benefits. I would recommend the industries to be patient and scrutinize tenders before they go ahead. Oman has a bright scope." The conference was attended by 90 participants from various institutes.
© Muscat Daily 2014
