The Importance of Mediation in Construction Conflicts

Summary: Construction projects require an immense amount of planning. However, with the complexity of today’s projects, issues can arise.

One of the most essential parts of handling construction projects is dealing with claims swiftly and carefully, because failure to do so could delay the progress of the project and potentially hurt business relationships that have been developed along the way. An effective method of resolving claims is by mediation.

A Faster Way to Resolve Conflicts

One of the benefits of using mediation as opposed to litigation is saving time. Problems resolution can help you and your team move past the issue and back to working on the project. These mediators, or neutral arbitrators, are professionals that are ready to listen to what you have to say and come up with a mutually beneficial solution for both parties. Moreover, they can jump in and help as soon as the parties involved are ready for mediation. This process can take up to a few days to get through, which means all of the parties involved can quickly get back to working on the project, conflict-free.

On the other hand, choosing to settle the conflict via litigation or arbitration can take a lengthy amount of time – even years as some cases have seen. At this point, the project will have extended the expected completion time and bridges will have been burned along the way.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Another benefit to choosing mediation for your construction projects is that there is a degree of confidentiality. If both parties agree to stay quiet about the claim, the conflict will stay in-house as opposed to being available to the public. In a court of law, however, details will likely become publicly available. To avoid the disclosure of private and sensitive information, mediation can be a very useful method of resolving issues.

Blog submitted by Lyle Charles Consulting: Lyle Charles of Lyle Charles Consulting is an expert in the construction industry. If you need assistance with construction delay claims or a construction expert witness, visit them online for more information.