From 17th September to 12th November 2021, the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution joined together with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) to deliver the first FIDIC Summer School, at The Dickson Poon School of Law. This is the FIDIC's first training contract collaboration with a European university and follows a memorandum of understanding between The Dickson Poon School of Law and FIDIC.
FIDIC's standard form contracts in construction and engineering are used globally as the international standard for the consulting industry. This was the first time FIDIC have joined together with a European university to deliver training on the FIDIC contracts and their practical use.
The Summer School was led by Phillip Capper, Emeritus Professor at The Dickson Poon School of Law and Partner at White & Case law firm, and Nicholas Gould, Visiting Professor at The Dickson Poon School of Law and Partner at Fenwick Elliott law firm. The co-leads delivered the programme alongside King's professors Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, and David Mosey, Professor of Law, as well as by leading practitioners in London and abroad.
The online intensive course focused on the common law and civil law legal frameworks within which the contracts are used and examined how the FIDIC standard form processes operate in various legal systems. Participants carried out an in-depth analysis of FIDIC contracts, reviewed procurement systems, considered the legal systems within which contracts are interpreted, and examined options and strategies for dispute avoidance and resolution.
The inaugural Summer School was attended by commercial managers, engineers, and lawyers from across 20 jurisdictions. Those who successfully completed the course were awarded with a certificate of attendance.
I am delighted at the great success of the first FIDIC Summer School at King's. This new partnership plays an important role in the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution's aim to deliver a leading education and research programme on UK and international construction law and dispute resolution.– Professor Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution
Professor Nazzini continues: "It was an honour to open the course alongside FIDIC chief executive Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE. I was impressed by the high calibre of the students and their lively participation. Thanks to Professor Nicholas Gould and Professor Phillip Capper for leading on this important initiative, which we are excited to continue with into future years"
Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, FIDIC Chief Executive, commented: "We are delighted to see the success of this first FIDIC summer school and to be working alongside such a prestigious academic institution, which is ranked in the top 25 universities worldwide. Our partnership will enhance the global FIDIC body of knowledge and help the development of professionals in our industry and we look forward to a continuing collaboration that will expand FIDIC contract usage to the next generation of project promoters, consultants, engineers, investors, project managers and risk specialists with an interest in infrastructure development."
