Council Member's Message - October 2024

Dear SCL(S) members and followers,

It has been an incredibly engaging third quarter of 2024, and it is with great enthusiasm that we present to you the latest edition of the SCL(S) newsletter.

This issue features a write‑up of our recent annual conference, which centred around the theme “Singapore Inc - Staying Best in Class in Construction?” The conference featured several thought-provoking sessions, including:

• Constructing Tomorrow: Opportunities and Challenges in the Energy Transition – a discussion on the construction industry's contributions to Singapore's energy transition ambitions, with insights on public-private collaboration, evolving contracting mechanisms, and the role of construction companies in understanding government policies and regulatory challenges for novel energy projects.
• Predictably Unpredictable: What to do when the price is no longer right? – a discussion on the strategies for handling unpredictable events in construction projects, emphasising risk management, collaborative contracting, and the role of insurance in covering unforeseen losses.
• Making Expert Evidence Great – a focus on the impact of expert evidence on the dispute resolution process and the usefulness of appointing a common, or jointly appointed, independent expert.
• Judge GPT: AI should be used to resolve construction disputes – an insightful debate on the potential for artificial intelligence to play a role in resolving construction disputes.

This issue also features intriguing articles titled “Design Engineer vs Forensic Engineer vs Expert Witness” (which delves into the distinct roles and contributions of design engineers, forensic engineers and expert witnesses in the context of structural failures and disputes) and “Beyond the Standard: The Need for Southeast Asian Delay Analysis Guidelines” (which looks at the unique regional practices and challenges that have to be taken into consideration when analysing delays in Southeast Asian construction projects).

We trust that you will find these articles both informative and engaging, and we encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback with us. Our aim is to foster a vibrant community of knowledge-sharing and professional development.

Thank you for your continued support and active participation. We look forward to many more opportunities to connect and grow together.