Tejal Naik
Contracts & Claims Consultant
Tejal is a contracts consultant on CALIM's advisory desk, focused on claims preparation, contractual notices, negotiation support, and dispute avoidance across construction and EPC projects in the GCC. Her published insights draw on live engagement work and are reviewed by CALIM's senior leadership before release.
Areas of Expertise
Articles by Tejal
20 articles published
Dispute Resolution Clauses Decoded: DAB/DAAB, Arbitration and What They Mean for You
The dispute clause is the one part of a subcontract nobody reads until it is too late - and by then the forum, the seat,...
When the Employer Calls Your Performance Bond: How to Respond
A performance bond call can drain cash you cannot spare and mark your name across a whole banking relationship - often b...
Disruption vs Delay: Claiming for Lost Productivity
Your programme finished on time but your labour costs blew the budget by thirty percent. That is disruption, not delay, ...
Your Interim Payment Was Certified Short - Here's What to Do
You applied for QAR 4.2 million and the certificate came back at QAR 2.9 million. Before you fire off an angry email, un...
Remedies for Non-Payment by a Main Contractor: Suspension and Notice Rights
When a main contractor stops paying, your instinct is to stop working - but doing so at the wrong moment can convert you...
Concurrent Delay: How It Affects Your Time and Money Entitlement
Concurrent delay is the most misunderstood concept in construction claims, and the confusion is expensive. Two delays ru...
Termination for Cause vs Termination for Convenience: Know Which One You're In
The two terminations look similar on the page and could not be more different in the bank account. Termination for cause...
NEC vs FIDIC: Which Contract Suite, When and Why
NEC and FIDIC are not interchangeable. They embody fundamentally different philosophies of risk, communication, and disp...
Common Mistakes Contractors Make Managing NEC Contracts
NEC contracts punish weak administration harder than any other standard form. The early warning register, compensation e...
What Does Outsourced Contract Administration Cost - and What's the ROI?
Contract administration cost is governed by three variables: scope, seniority, and structure. Most contractors evaluate ...
NEC3 vs NEC4: The Differences That Matter to Contractors
The NEC4 suite introduced structural changes to early warnings, compensation events, and dispute resolution that alter h...
Claims Consultant vs Lawyer: Who Do You Need, and When?
A claims consultant and a construction lawyer serve two different stages of the same dispute. Calling the wrong one at t...
When the Contract Is Non-Negotiable, the Administration Has to Be Bulletproof
Many contractors operate under contracts they had no power to negotiate. The terms are fixed, the risk allocation is ske...
Strategic Contract Negotiation: The Technique of Achieving Favorable Terms While Preserving Professional Relationships
Preparation is not merely important - it is fundamental to achieving favorable outcomes. A framework for effective contr...
How One Latin Phrase Still Shapes Global Business
Mutatis mutandis - a Latin phrase meaning 'the necessary changes having been made' - still quietly underpins how contrac...
The Law Does Not Compel the Impossible
Lex non cogit ad impossibilia - the law does not compel the impossible. A Roman maxim that still protects parties from l...
Why 80% of LD Claims Originate in Administration, Not Drafting
The most expensive contract failures are not born in the legal review. They are born in the daily administration - misse...
The 28-Day Rule That Kills More Claims Than Any Dispute
28 days to notify. Day 29, the claim is contractually dead. Clause 20.1 of FIDIC has cost GCC contractors more entitleme...
FIDIC 2017 vs. FIDIC 1999: What Contractors Need to Know
The 2017 FIDIC suite introduced significant changes to claims procedures, dispute resolution, and employer obligations. ...
Most Project Disputes Start in the Contract, Not on Site
Vague scope. Unclear notice requirements. Risk allocated to the party least able to manage it. By the time the problem s...
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