Construction Law and Contracts: Principles and Application

Formation of Contracts

• Offer, acceptance & consideration
• Oral and written contracts
• Tenders and award of contracts Construction Contract Standard Forms
• Contractual models
• Development of standard forms
• Standard forms: PSSCOC, SIACOC & REDAS Claims for Variations
• Variation provisions in a contract
• Scope of power to vary
• Valuation issues Payments and Certification
• Obligation to pay
• Function of a certifier
• Nature of interim certificates Time-related Claims
• Time obligations
• Liquidated damages
• Concept of “prevention”
• Prolongation and disruption of claims and completion

Liability for Construction Defects

• Warranties for quality
• Damages and economic loss
• Termination under Contract & General Law Adjudication and Security of Payment
• Outline of the regime
• Preparation of payment claims
• Preparation of payment response
• Adjudication – its preparation, application and proceeding Sub-contracts
• Nominated and domestic subcontractors
• Obligations of subcontractors
• Payments, set-off, extension of time and termination Litigation and Arbitration
• Comparison of processes and managing of legal costs
• Selecting a legal counsel

MR CHRISTOPHER CHUAH, Managing Director of Christopher Chuah Law Chambers LLC. Christopher is a leading construction and dispute resolution lawyer with over 30 years of experience in litigation, arbitration, and statutory adjudication. Recognised as one of Singapore’s top construction lawyers, he has acted in high-profile infrastructure and construction disputes across Asia, including power plants, transport infrastructure, and commercial developments. Christopher has been appointed as an arbitrator and committee member at the Asia Pacific International Arbitration Chamber (Singapore) and also serves on the BICAM Panel of Arbitrators (2023-2026). Beyond practice, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and currently President of the Chartered Institute of Building Singapore. For his contributions, he has been recognised as a Thought Leader in Construction (Lexology 2024, previously Who’s Who Legal) and a Band 1 Construction Lawyer (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2015-2025).

MS MONICA NEO, LLB (Hons) London, Barrister-at- Law (Lincoln’s Inn), Advocate & Solicitor (Singapore), Commissioner for Oaths (Singapore), F.S.I.Arb, M.C.I.Arb - Senior Partner, Chan Neo LLP; Tribunal Magistrate of Small Claims Tribunal, States Courts; Board Member of Strata Title Board; Member of the Council of Estate Agencies; Legal Advisor to the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd. Monica’s legal practice is focused on construction and construction-related matters, acting as Counsel and sole Arbitrator in construction disputes. She is also involved in numerous adjudications and all forms of construction dispute resolutions. She has lectured at the Singapore and Temasek Polytechnics and tutored at the School of Architecture, NUS. She has written a number of books and/or commentaries on construction law and construction contracts. She has been described as being “respected” in the Projects and Energy sector in the 2008/2009 edition of Asia Pacific Legal 500.

MR EDWIN LEE PENG KHOON - Senior Director, Allyed Gateway LLC
Edwin is accredited by the Singapore Academy of Law as a Senior Specialist in Construction Law. He is also cited as a leading Singapore construction law practitioner in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Construction Lawyers (2017). The Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide 2017 has cited him as "an authority on domestic construction adjudications”. Edwin sits on the SMC Construction Adjudicator Accreditation Committee, which oversees the selection and assessment of adjudicators. He has conducted hundreds of adjudication cases, as counsel, adjudicator and review adjudicator. Edwin is also an accredited adjudicator in Malaysia. He is the author Building Contract Law in Singapore (2016, 3rd Edition). (2016, 3rd Edition).

Architects, quantity surveyors, practicing engineers, builders and construction professionals.