2021: The Brave New World
“Stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability” Aldous Huxley
As we move out of a “spectacular” period in world history, what challenges is the UK construction industry facing and how are we meeting them? Tune in to the recordings below to watch us discuss latest developments and changing practices.
Webinar 1 - Building safety reform: assessing the true impact
Both the UK Government and Scottish Government have substantial – but separate – reform agendas. We summarise the most significant changes, examine the extent to which Scotland and England are diverging in their approach, and ask who ultimately will be footing the bill.
Webinar 2 - NEC: omissions, mandatory adjudication and final accounting
Focussing on NEC, we look at recent case law (Van Oord v Dragados and Fraserburgh Harbour v McLaughlin & Harvey) including its impact on omissions, and mandatory adjudication clauses. We also discuss practical issues arising from the final accounting procedure under NEC4.
Webinar 3 - Dispute resolution: hot topics
We look at recent case law including expert witnesses under fire, the latest developments in the time bar of claims, and design liability.
Webinar 4 - Negotiation: hot topics
We discuss some key challenges facing clients in the negotiation of contracts. This includes responding to material shortages, increasing costs and difficulties in obtaining PI cover.
The information included in these webinars do not constitute legal advice, for specific queries please get in touch with your usual Burness Paull contact.
Related News, Insights & Events
Performance security part three: Retentions
The most widely utilised form of performance security, being retentions and some recent measures introduced in the UK to encourage transparency in retention practices in the construction industry.
Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill introduced
Introduced on 5 June 2025, the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill proposes a new tax which, if passed, will be known as the Scottish Building Safety Levy ("the Levy").
Performance security part two: Parent company guarantees
We are considering recent trends and what these mean in practice. Part 1 considered performance bonds; here we’ll focus on parent company guarantees (PCGs).
