Our collective thoughts

Posted May 22, 2025 | Published in Dispute resolution

The Supreme Court Judgment ‘URS Corporation Ltd v BDW Trading Ltd’ – a landmark decision for the construction industry [1]

The UK Supreme Court yesterday handed down its much-anticipated judgment in the case of URS Corporation Ltd v BDW Trading Ltd [2025] UKSC 21. The appeal was heard by a full panel of 7 justices who dismissed URS’s appeal on all 4 grounds. The judgment runs to 88 pages and is a must read for anyone working in the construction sector.

In this article, Ben Smith, Huw Wilkins and Paul Smylie examine the judgment and discuss the key issues arising and practical implications for those likely to be affected, including developers, contractors, consultants and insurers.

Practising Proper Payment Processes: Payment and Pay Less Notices [3]

Lucinda Robinson reports on the recent decision in Placefirst Construction Ltd v CAR Construction (North East) Ltd, which provides current TCC guidance on payment and pay less notices. It also serves as an example of the confusion caused when contractual payment processes are not followed properly.

Building Liability Orders: What do we know now that the first one has been made? [5]

BLOs represent a significant change from the usual principle that a company is solely responsible for its liabilities and allow the Court to hold associated companies accountable for building safety failings, following the “polluter pays” principle. As the body of caselaw under the Building Safety Act 2022 begins to develop, the Court has now made the first BLO and provided important guidance.

Building Safety: navigating the legal and regulatory landscape [7]

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and the three-year anniversary of the BSA, building safety has been at the forefront of a significant number of conversations in and around the construction industry. The building safety environment is constantly evolving, via secondary legislation, developing policies, and a growing body of caselaw and judicial comment.

2024 Construction Adjudication in the United Kingdom Report [8]

At the Adjudication Society Conference in Manchester on 20 November 2024, King’s College London unveiled the third and final report of its research project on construction adjudication, conducted in collaboration with The Adjudication Society. In this blog, Katherine Butler takes a closer look at the report's findings, exploring recent adjudication statistics, referral trends, and the addressing the issue of diversity among adjudicators.

Constructing the Gold Standard: Needed more than ever? [10]

Claire King takes a closer look at “Constructing the Gold Standard” (the “Review”), a 24-point plan designed to help clients and their supply chain optimise the procurement process and deliver the best outcomes possible. In this blog, Claire shares insight from a recent Fenwick Elliott panel discussion which featured Professor David Mosey, who led the Review.

Late payments: you’re really on thin ice now [12]

Paul Smylie reports on the Court of Appeals decision in Providence Building Services Ltd v Hexagon Housing Association Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 962, which held that the Contractor was entitled to terminate its employment based on just two late payments, each of which was rectified within 14 days.