Following the success of our sold-out Autumn and Spring FIDIC Contracts Seminars Series, Howard Kennedy’s International Construction team is pleased to announce a brand new FIDIC Contracts Claims Masterclass, a four half-day online workshop taking place at 09:00-12:30 GMT each morning of Monday 7 – Thursday 10 December 2026.

This masterclass will provide a focused and practical examination of how claims are made, managed, and defended under the FIDIC forms of contract. The programme is intended for professionals who already work with FIDIC contracts and are looking to sharpen their claims strategy, deepen their understanding of risk management, and enhance their dispute-readiness. The masterclass will include expert-led sessions and practical workshops, covering the following topics:

• FIDIC claims strategy;
• Risk allocation;
• Notices;
• Variations;
• Delay and quantum;
• Geology;
• Force majeure;
• Employer claims;
• Termination; and
• Dispute avoidance.

The event will be hosted online, with members of the firm’s International Construction team and invited delay and quantum experts involved throughout the week in presenting sessions and facilitating discussion.

Further details on the programme content and registration will be released shortly. If you would like to learn more or register your interest, please contact our Seminar Manager, Fritha Sennitt via the link here or by signing up below.

Programme Overview

Claims Foundations, Variations and Delay

Introduction to Claims under FIDIC

• Risk and its allocation
• Risk transfer and its limitations
• Distinguishing between “claims” and “disputes”

Notices and Determinations

• Time barring provisions
• Discretion, waiver and compliance
• Forms and timing of notices
• Determinations and applicable timeframes

Variations and Valuation

• What constitutes a Variation
• Cardinal change
• Limits on the Engineer’s power to vary
• Disputed Variations
• Valuation under the Red Book and Yellow/Silver Books, including a brief introduction to prolongation and disruption

Workshop:
Dispute arising from a Variation – validity, notice compliance and valuation

Delay Claims

• Burden of proof for extensions of time
• Time at large
• Acceleration (express and constructive)
• Concurrency
• Delay damages and limits to exclusive remedies

Delay Analysis (led by a delay expert)

• Prospective vs retrospective analysis
• Common critical path methods and their pitfalls
• How delay analyses are tested and challenged in disputes

Extended Workshop:
Dispute over an EOT claim involving shifting critical paths and external commissioning issues

Ground Risk, Quantum, Termination and Dispute Resolution

Geology and Force Majeure

• Unforeseen ground condition claims
• Geotechnical Baseline Reports (GBRs)
• Force majeure and prevention

Prolongation Cost and Disruption
(led by a quantum expert)

• Bases of claim for different types of employer risk events, including Variations
• Proof of cost, cost plus claims, valuation and damages
• Acceleration and disruption claims

Employer Claims

• Defects in contractor design and workmanship
• Design Non Performance and related doctrines
• Duty to mitigate
• Design claims and fitness for purpose
• Bonds and retentions

Workshop:
Bad design or bad work?

Termination

• Contractual grounds for termination
• Additional grounds and limits under general law
• Post termination procedures and financial claims
• Limitations of liability

Dispute Prevention and Resolution

• Mandatory DAABs under FIDIC
• The role of the DAAB in dispute prevention and decision making
• Enforcement of DAAB decisions
• Arbitration

Extended Workshop:
DAAB hearing following termination

Trainers

This course will be run by FIDIC experts, including the following trainers. Please click on their names to view full details:

Edward Corbett

Edward Corbett is acknowledged as one of the world’s most experienced international construction lawyers with an unsurpassed reputation as a FIDIC expert.

Victoria Tyson

Victoria Tyson is an award-winning contentious construction lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in large, complex international construction and engineering disputes. She has particular expertise in the FIDIC forms of construction contract and international arbitration.

Joanne Clarke

Jo Clarke is a solicitor advocate with over 25 years of experience advising on and resolving construction and engineering disputes. She has particular expertise in complex international arbitration and FIDIC contracts.

Gabriel Mulero Clas

Gabriel is an international construction lawyer with over 13 years’ experience in multi-million/billion-pound projects, claims, disputes and arbitrations worldwide in FIDIC and other contract forms as an advisor, representative and advocate.

James Reader

James Reader is a solicitor with more than 20 years of experience in dispute resolution. He has acted as counsel in a number of international arbitration proceedings under the ICC and SIAC rules.

Who should attend?

This seminar will be of great interest to all those actively involved in international projects, including representatives from Consulting Engineers, Construction Employers, Contractors, Funding Agencies, Employers, Insurers, and Manufacturing Organisations as well as representatives from the Legal and other Consulting Professions.

How to register

To register email info@cornerstone-seminars.com or fritha.sennitt@cornerstone-seminars.com and provide your name and address (including country) for the invoice.

The full training course fee is payable in advance and includes the cost of course tuition, course certificate and Cornerstone documentation, but excludes copies of the FIDIC Contracts Books to be discussed during the workshop, which may be purchased separately from the FIDIC Bookshop www.FIDIC.org/bookshop

Cancellations, refunds and transfers

Refunds (less a 10% charge to cover administration costs) will be made for cancellations received in writing no later than 14 days before the event. After this date, it is regretted that refunds of fees will not be made.

Substitutions and Transfers can be made at any time. It may be necessary for reasons beyond the control of Cornerstone Seminars to change the contents or timing of the programme, the speakers or the date. In the unlikely event of the programme being cancelled by Cornerstone, we will automatically make a full refund of any payments made to Cornerstone.