Empirical Model for Construction Disputes Using a Bespoke Model

This research addresses the inherent challenges of disputes in construction projects, emphasizing their costly nature in terms of time, money, and resources. Focused on the Singapore construction industry, the study identifies major causes of disputes and proposes an empirical model for construction disputes using a bespoke approach. The objective is to equip project leaders with insights to manage potential disputes in Singapore construction projects. This study utilizes a legal research methodology and analyses secondary data from relevant law cases spanning from 2014 to 2023. A comprehensive analysis of 64 legal cases identified 24 primary causes of disputes, with payment disputes, project delay, variations, liquidated damages, defects and defect rectification costs, quality of work, termination, and retention sums emerging as major contributors due to their higher frequency. In response to these findings, a framework is proposed for incorporating alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms to resolve construction disputes in Singapore.