| dc.description.abstract | Public agencies prefer to file lawsuits to courts if construction disputes occur. There are many sentenced cases regarding disputes between the agencies and engineering consulting firms. This research collected and analyzed such cases to conclude the reasons of sentencing, discuss the factors that caused disputes, and to propose suggestions from various perspectives. Results of this research are expected to serve as useful references to all parties involved in public construction projects for reducing future possible disputes, improving quality of the projects, and decreasing possible social costs due to such disputes.
This study collected aforementioned cases that are related to design, supervision, and professional construction management tasks performed by engineering consulting firms. The dispute cases were collected from “Law and Regulations Retrieving System” of the Judicial Yuan, Republic of China. There were 133 cases found from 21 District Courts around Taiwan during 2001 to 2013, and all these cases were also traced that appeal to High Courts and Supreme Courts to find their final outcomes. Statistical analyses of these cases reveal that it takes 13.7 months to obtain a sentence in District Courts, and 23.4 months to acquire the final sentence for a dispute case. In addition, it is found that claims regarding extra service fees are the most common cases after segregating the 133 cases into 156 single claim cases. This research further proposes suggestions from the perspectives of project execution, contracting, and claim systems based on the concluded results and reasons of sentencing for each dispute type. Modifications of clauses in the model contract regarding service duration, change orders, and termination of contract are also proposed accordingly. Finally, it is suggested to setup technical courts for construction in the metropolitan areas to facilitate resolution of disputes between the public agencies and the engineering consulting firms.
| en_US |