Model for Processing Construction Claims
Introduction
With growing standards, advanced technologies, and owner-desired additions and changes, construction projects are becoming more and more complex, while the successful completion of projects has been thought to depend mainly on cooperation between the contractor, consultant, and owner, problems and disputes have always erupted due to conflicting opinions as to the interpretations, various aspects of design and construction.With the introduction and widespread application of contemporaneous period method (CPM) of analysis, scheduling, it became easier to point out where the delays are occurring and how delays in one activity affect others, and possibly the project as a whole, thus allowing objective judgments as to whether contractors should be entitled to time extensions. On the other hand, the increased complexity of construction processes, documents, and conditions of contracts has been contributing to higher possibilities of disputes, conflicting interpretations, and adversarial attitudes. The exhausting and expensive process of litigation has not been making things easier, as unsettled claims that have developed into disputes can take a very long time to be resolved. All the above factors have made "claims" an inevitable burden in implementing today's construction projects.