The 2025 Official FIDIC International Contract Users Conference opened in London on 2 December with a reminder from FIDIC’s chief executive officer Susanna Zammataro that the work of the federation was even more important in a world of uncertainty. She said that FIDIC contracts were a key part of creating certainty and process on construction projects, but also made a wider, societal point. “We must remember that these projects are all about delivering access to opportunities to people – after all, that’s what infrastructure does, so we always need to look at the bigger picture and it’s important to understand that in everything that we do,” said Zammataro.
Giving an opening address to the conference, FIDIC president Alfredo Ingletti began by paying tribute to tribute to FIDIC special advisor Dr Nael Bunni, who sadly died last week. “Dr Bunni was an absolute giant in the field of FIDIC contracts for more than three decades where he played a significant role around issues related to risk, liability, insurance, contracts, dispute avoidance and dispute resolution,” he said. “Nael’s death is a sad loss for FIDIC and for the construction industry, as we lose a friend and a professional who has relentlessly served FIDIC and its contracts for more than 30 years,” said Ingletti.
FIDIC’s president said that FIDIC’s contracts were highly influential in the global construction and infrastructure industry and made the point that the work of engineers was more important than ever in navigating the planet’s key global challenges. “Not only are FIDIC contracts widely used on some of the world’s most important and impactful projects, they are widely seen as the go-to industry construction contract forms by clients, funders, contractors and engineers on a global scale,” Ingletti said.
Addressing some of the challenging global events and continuing uncertain economic backdrop to the conference, he said: “It is clear that our world is facing some very serious challenges. Geopolitical uncertainty affects our industry as it impacts the economies on which we all depend. “We need to be resilient in the face of these challenges. Global economic and political uncertainty has not subsided over the past year – in fact it has gotten worse. Never has the role of engineers been more important in navigating the key challenges facing our planet,” said Ingletti.
The conference’s first session, Human Nature and Cultural Impact on Project Delivery - Understanding Bias, Behaviour and Balance, explored how human nature and cultural diversity impact infrastructure and construction projects. Panellists Catherine Karakatsanis, senior vice president of Stantec and Andrea Galli, group CEO of ARX Group and also the president of the Swiss Association of Consulting Engineering Firms, offered some interesting insights on a topic that was central to successful project delivery. Karakatsanis highlighted the importance of sharing what her team was doing with other project participants, especially where they had gone above and beyond. “It’s really important to be able to relate what you are specifically doing on a project and how this affects the outcome. It’s also a key part of building trust,” she said.
Andrea Galli agreed on the trust issue. “Every day we have to care about our people. Small actions every day are important and these all build up. Having an open approach, apologising for mistakes when necessary and never forgetting to praise people for a job well done is also key,” he said. “We shouldn’t forget the influence of individual behaviours on a project’s success, so how we promote constructive dialogue and having a practical awareness of how to manage and benefit from human diversity on projects is so important,” said Galli.
The fireside chat session was followed by a discussion on the ever-topical subject of The role and impact of the Engineer on projects. This session, moderated by Vincent Leloup, chair of the FIDIC contracts committee, explored the evolving role of the engineer within FIDIC contracts, the importance of effective employer, contractor and engineer engagement and how alignment with FIDIC contract requirements can improve project outcomes. Panellist Nabeel Khokhar, contract manager at Construction Contract Consulting, offered an interesting and perhaps controversial football refereeing analogy of the role of the engineer, saying that the rise of VAR (video assistant referee) technology in football was analogous to the role played by dispute boards. Of course, he was at pains to say, he wasn’t advocating for the engineer to be replaced entirely by technology, only for assistance to be used where it was available.
The discussion from the floor touched on the evolving responsibilities of the engineer in modern project delivery in a changing industry and some of the challenges around the dual role of the engineer as employers’ agent and also a neutral decision maker. Some of the common challenges engineers face in contract administration were also raised included the often complex interplay between the engineer, employer and contractor around dispute boards. The session concluded by highlighting the importance of clear employer roles and informed appointments and the need to promote fairness, neutrality and alignment with FIDIC’s Golden Principles.
FIDIC is grateful for the support it has received from the sponsors of the 2025 Official FIDIC International Contract Users Conference. Thanks go to platinum sponsors White & Case, Pinsent Masons and Lupa Technology and to gold sponsors Fenwick Elliott, CMS, HFW and ECV.
