Q3 2022

Catch up below on the following Egypt Branch activities during Q3 2022.

Alternatively click here to watch a news highlight reel

Branch Mentoring Programme Manifested

In recognition for the Branch Mentoring Programme, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Raouf, Branch Chair, and Dr. Dalia Hussein, Branch Honorary Secretary, represented the Branch at the virtual meeting on 8 August 2022 with Mr. David Fong, Chair of the East Asia Branch, and Ms. Isabel Gonzalez, Ciarb Member Services Executive. The meeting aimed at introducing the scheme and guidelines of the Programme as the first mentorship programme initiated by a Ciarb Branch in the region. For more information about the Programme, please click here.

Third Branch Committee Meeting 2022

The third Committee Meeting of the Ciarb Egypt Branch was held virtually on 6 September 2022. Members approved the agenda of the meeting and the minutes of the latest Committee Meeting as recorded on 8 June 2022. The Branch Chair, Prof. Dr. Abdel Raouf, presented a brief on the Ciarb Branch Chair Meeting held on 20 June 2022, the Treasurer Meeting held on 27 July 2022, and the meeting with the Ciarb representatives regarding the Branch Mentoring Programme held on 8 August 2022.

Members discussed other items of the agenda including the nomination of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Member of the Ciarb Board of Trustees, as a candidate for the Ciarb Presidency election and as Trustee for the for the Middle East/Indian Sub-continent Region. Discussions also took place about future Branch events including the webinar on Proving Loss of Productivity Claims in Construction (in cooperation with AACE International - Greater Cairo section) and the first DRBF MENA Region Conference to be held in November 2022.

The next Branch Committee meeting was scheduled on 4 December 2022 alongside the Sharm El Sheikh VIII Conference.

Ciarb Treasurer Meeting

On 27 July 2022, Dr. Ismail Selim, Branch Vice-Chair and Honorary Treasurer, represented the Branch at the virtual Ciarb Treasurer Meeting held on 27 July 2022. The agenda of the Meeting included Ciarb’s future initiatives and update on the Branch control document. The Branch had submitted the half-year performance template and bank statement account (until 30 June 2022) to Ciarb Finance and Administration Executive on 31 June 2022.

Branch Webpage Update

Upon the launch of the second cycle of the Branch Mentorship Programme (May 2022 – May 2023), the Branch updated its webpage at the Ciarb website to include information and videos of some activities during the first cycle (2020 - 2021). Please click here to read more and to watch the videos.

Seminar on the Challenges of the Application of the Egyptian Act No 182/2018 Regulating the Contracts Concluded by Public Entities

On 3 July 2022, the Egypt Branch organized jointly with CRCICA a seminar on “The Challenges of the Application of the Egyptian Act No 182/2018 Regulating the Contracts Concluded by Public Entities”, held at CRCICA (the seat of the Branch).

The event consisted of a panel discussion of expert engineers and lawyers. Expert engineers were Dr. Salwa Fawzy, Contracts Director, Atrium Project Management, and Dr. Waleed El Nemr, Contracts Director, Hill International (Africa) Ltd. Expert lawyers were Mr. Hazim A. Rizkana, Managing Partner, Rizkana & Partners, and Mr. Girgis Abd El-Shahid, Managing Partner of Shahid Law Firm. The panel discussion presented the engineering and legal views on some controversial issues which had arisen during the 4 years that followed the entry into force of the Act.

Attendees, mostly engineers and lawyers, raised interesting questions and comments.

For more information about the Act, please click here

For the Executive Regulations of the Act, please click here

To watch the video of the seminar, please click here

Workshop on CRCICA Dispute Board Rules

On 3-4 September 2022, the Egypt Branch organized jointly with CRCICA the first Training Workshop on CRCICA Dispute Board Rules, held at CRCICA (the seat of the Branch). The speakers were Eng. Aisha Nadar, Infrastructure Procurement and Dispute Management at Advokatfirman Runeland AB Law Firm (Sweden/USA/Egypt) who tutored virtually and Dr. Ahmed Waly, Managing Partner, WALY – Arbitration and Contract Administration Firm (Egypt) who tutored in-person. In addition to the distinguished experience of the speakers, they were members of the expert Committee which drafted the DB Rules. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Dalia Hussein, CRCICA Deputy Director and Branch Honorary Secretary.

The Workshop combined lectures and role plays. Participants were divided into groups that addressed real cases and written exercises, either as parties or as DB members, applying the new CRCICA DB Rules. Participants received certificates of attendance after the workshop.

It is worth noting that CRCICA DB Rules were issued in Arabic and English and entered into force on 1st August 2022. They provide a prompt, cost-effective and impartial dispute avoidance and resolution mechanism adapted to all types and sizes of construction projects.

Seminar on The Role of the State Council’s Judiciary in Supervising Arbitration Awards Related to State Contracts

On 7 September 2022, the Egypt Branch organized jointly with CRCICA a Seminar on The Role of the State Council’s Judiciary in Supervising Arbitration Awards Related to State Contracts, held at CRCICA (the seat of the Branch). The speaker was Counselor Monsef Nageeb Soliman, Former Vice-President of the State Council, and Lawyer and Arbitrator. The Moderator was Ambassador Mohamed Mostafa Kamal (MCIArb), Former Assistant Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lawyer and Arbitrator, and Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb).

The speaker focused on the role of the State Council and the State Council case law related to arbitration in state contracts, starting from the arbitration agreement and ending with the challenge of the arbitration awards.

Hybrid Webinar: Loss of Productivity Claims in Construction

On 26 September 2022, the Egypt Branch organized jointly with the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE), and CRCICA a hybrid webinar on “Loss of Productivity Claims in Construction”. The speaker was Mr. James Jack, Principal, James Zack Consulting, LLC and Senior Advisor, Ankura Construction Forum™, and a Fellow of AACE. The Moderator was Dr. Waleed El Nemr, Contracts Director, Hill International (Africa) Ltd. and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the American University in Cairo (Construction Engineering Department).

Dr. El Nemr interviewed the speaker Mr. Zack. They discussed issues and questions previously submitted by participants as well as questions raised during the webinar. Discussions approached the AACE International Recommended Practice (RP) 25R-03 "Estimating Labor Productivity in Construction Claims”. The event was well attended with positive feedback received from the attendees after the event.

Prior to the event, the registrants were provided with documents relevant to the Recommended Practice of the AACE, including Calculating Lost Labor Productivity in Construction Claims AACE RP 25R-03 and Current AACE International Recommended Practice No. 25R-03.

To watch the recording of the event, please click here.

Egypt Branch Media Partner to Sharm El Sheikh VIII

The Egypt Branch is a proud to be a Media Partner for the world’s sole biennial conference Sharm El Sheikh VIII on “The Role of State Courts in International Arbitration” scheduled for 5-6 December 2022, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Since 2005, Sharm El Sheikh Conferences have been organized by the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial arbitration (CRCICA) in cooperation with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Federation of Commercial Arbitration Institutions (IFCAI) and the Arab Union for International Arbitration (AUIA). This year, the conference is also co-organized with the Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO).

For more information about the Sharm El Sheikh VIII speakers, venue, accommodation and registration, please click here.