It is common for construction industry participants to source various machinery, materials or components from overseas for construction projects in Hong Kong, or to have part of the construction and fabrication or assembly...more
6/5/2025
/ Buyers ,
Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Hong Kong ,
International Trade ,
New Legislation ,
UNCITRAL ,
United Nations
What lawyers call a “battle of the forms” occurs when two parties, negotiating a contract, exchange conflicting standard terms during the contract negotiation and formation. This leads to the obvious and not uncommon dilemma:...more
4/29/2025
/ Construction Contracts ,
Construction Disputes ,
Construction Litigation ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Formation ,
Contract Interpretation ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Hong Kong ,
Standard Form Contracts ,
Standard Forms ,
Subcontractors
In Sze Fung Engineering Limited v Trevi Construction Company Limited [2025] HKCA 278, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal (“CA”) ruled that the “back to back” wording in that case was not a “pay when paid” clause, but governed only...more
4/29/2025
/ Ambiguous ,
Appeals ,
Breach of Contract ,
Construction Contracts ,
Construction Litigation ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Interpretation ,
Contract Terms ,
Hong Kong ,
Pay When Paid ,
Subcontractors
On 10 February 2025, the Development Bureau (“DEVB”) issued a suite of model adjudication documents (“Model Documents”), including a set of model adjudication rules (“Model Rules”)....more
In Wang & Lee Contracting Ltd v Young Kwong Pui Trading as In Tech Engineering [2025] HKDC 66 (Date of Decision: 3 January 2025), the District Court ordered the court proceedings to be stayed and that the plaintiff’s claims...more
Adjudication has become a key tool in the construction industry, helping employers and contractors resolve disputes quickly and keep cash flowing on projects. But when insolvency enters the picture, things can get tricky —...more
2/14/2025
/ Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Litigation ,
Contract Disputes ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Hong Kong ,
Insolvency ,
Jurisdiction ,
Security of Payment Act ,
Singapore ,
Stays ,
UK
The Hong Kong Government received 37 submissions from the public in July 2024 regarding the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (“Bill”) and held discussions with deputations from different stakeholders at a LegCo...more
10/8/2024
/ Adjudicatory Process ,
Comment Period ,
Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Contract Terms ,
Exceptions ,
Fees ,
General Contractors ,
Hong Kong ,
Insolvency ,
Pay When Paid ,
Pending Legislation ,
Prompt Payment
On 16 July 2024, the Hong Kong LegCo Bills Committee which is considering the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (“Bill”) held a meeting to receive representations and submissions on the Bill from deputations sent...more
9/26/2024
/ Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Contract Terms ,
General Contractors ,
Hong Kong ,
Insolvency ,
Pay When Paid ,
Prompt Payment ,
Subcontractors ,
Third-Party ,
UK
Our earlier Insight “LegCo in-house lawyers request clarifications regarding the Security of Payment Bill” reported that the Legal Service Division of the LegCo wrote a letter on 19 June 2024 to the HK Government seeking to...more
On 21 June 2024, the Hong Kong LegCo Bills Committee which is considering the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (“Bill”) held a meeting to discuss various policy concerns of the Bill....more
In W v Contractor [2024] HKCFI 1452, the Hong Kong High Court dismissed an application for leave to appeal against the interim measures granted by an arbitrator to restrain an employer from calling on a bond in relation to a...more
In May 2024, the Hong Kong Government introduced the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (Bill) to the Legislative Council for first reading. If the Bill is passed into law, the Bill will introduce a statutory...more
In May 2024, the Hong Kong Government introduced the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (Bill) to the Legislative Council for first reading. If the Bill is passed into law, the Bill will introduce a statutory...more
On 19 June 2024, the Legal Service Division of the LegCo wrote a letter to the Development Bureau seeking to clarify certain matters in the Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (“Bill”).
The Legal Service...more
We explored in our earlier Insight Hong Kong Security of Payment Bill gazetted the key provisions of the long-anticipated Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (“Bill”) which was gazetted on 17 May 2024....more
The long-anticipated Construction Industry Security of Payment Bill (“Bill”) was gazetted on 17 May 2024 and was introduced into LegCo for its first reading on 29 May 2024. The Bill aims to establish a legislative framework...more
The Hong Kong Edition of the New Engineering Contract (“NEC”) was published in July 2023 in a joint undertaking with the Development Bureau (“DEVB”) of the HKSAR Government (“Government”). ...more
In Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust v Hadfield Healthcare Partnership Ltd and others, the Technology and Construction Court provides helpful guidance about the use of standstill agreements to pause limitation...more
Sampling and extrapolation is a common approach for presenting evidence in complex construction and commercial disputes. The exercise involves identifying and examining a properly representative set of sample allegations, and...more
The most common remedy for breach of contract is the award of damages. The usual aim of the court is to place, as far as possible, the innocent party in the position it would have been in had the breaching party performed...more
As the old saying holds, cash-flow is the life blood of the construction industry.
In 2021, Hong Kong looks set to join Singapore, Australia and other jurisdictions in implementing a Security of Payment regime to...more
The recent U.K. judgment Premier Engineering (Lincoln) Ltd v MW High Tech Projects UK Ltd [2020] EWHC 2484 (TCC) provides some useful practical insights into the court’s approach to handling timesheet evidence and examining...more
The recent case of PBS Energo A.S v Bester Generacion UK Ltd [2020] EWHC 223 (TCC) provides a reminder of the care parties need to take when deciding to terminate a contract. It also provides some interesting commentary on...more