Explaining the Ineffectiveness of Construction Arbitration
Publication: Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction
Volume 14, Issue 2
Abstract
The ineffectiveness of dispute resolution remains a major concern to many users of construction arbitration. Despite several complaints regarding high costs, delays, and rejected awards, there is no evidence that any studies have systematically investigated and explained the ineffectiveness of construction arbitration. This multiple qualitative case study aimed at addressing this research gap. Rich qualitative data based on 13 semistructured interviews and documentary analysis in five exemplifying cases indicated that all five cases were ineffective because of poor-quality awards, time inefficiencies, and cost ineffectiveness. Such ineffectiveness was attributed to unfavorable outcomes, which were perceived to be unfair in cases in which tribunals did not exercise their powers in balancing process control that was skewed in favor of the winning parties. The findings also pointed toward mismatches between case complexity and the competence of the tribunals, whose limited functional skills restricted their ability to properly guide the disputants on efficient approaches to the presentation of evidence. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of how these factors collectively interact in explaining the ineffectiveness of construction arbitration.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available in a repository online in accordance with funder data retention policies. Additional data (Appendix 1) is available in Mendeley Datasets (https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/gtvmtks233/3; doi: https://doi.org/10.17632/gtvmtks233.3).
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology for partially funding this study.
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Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction
Volume 14 • Issue 2 • May 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 2, 2021
Accepted: Dec 17, 2021
Published online: Mar 10, 2022
Published in print: May 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Aug 10, 2022
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