SINGAPORE: Parties involved in mega infrastructure projects can now appoint up to three neutral professionals to form a dispute board and prevent potential differences from snowballing into full-blown disputes, which can become expensive to resolve.
This is under the new Singapore Infrastructure Dispute-Management Protocol (SIDP) launched on Tuesday (Oct 23).
AdvertisementSecond Minister for Finance and Education Ms Indranee Rajah said the SIDP builds on processes which are familiar to infrastructure stakeholders but also has unique features for more effective dispute resolution.
“We realised that there is a critical gap in the infrastructure space - the need for more cost and time efficient resolution of infrastructure disputes, facilitated by experts,” Ms Indranee said.
"Though new, we are confident that infrastructure stakeholders will quickly see the value of the SIDP and adopt it once they do,” she added.
Under the protocol, parties appoint a dispute board comprising up to three neutral professionals who are experts in relevant fields such as engineering, quantity surveying and law, from the start of the project.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe dispute board will follow the project from start to finish, and will anticipate issues and prevent differences from escalating into full-blown disputes which become difficult and expensive to resolve.
And in the event disputes do occur, a wide range of methods such as mediation can help address the issues.
Professional and administrative support through the Singapore International Mediation Centre and the Singapore Mediation Centre can assist with identifying and appointing dispute board members.
The new protocol has already attracted interest from parties who are keen to incorporate it into their projects. These projects are estimated to be worth S$500 million or more, said the Ministry of Law.
Senior Minister of State for Law and Health Mr Edwin Tong said: “Singapore is well-placed to help parties navigate the challenges of large-scale infrastructure projects. We are a trusted and neutral venue, and have over the years built up deep expertise, institutions, and human capital in dispute resolution.
"The new protocol builds on this strong foundation and leverages the suite of services that Singapore offers as a dispute resolution hub.”
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