Fees

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There is no fee to apply for a nomination. Our role is to nominate the most suitable adjudicator for the dispute quickly, independently and fairly.

Construction DRB is committed to transparent, proportionate and cost-effective adjudication.

Our fee structure is designed to provide certainty to parties at the outset, with capped fees for many claims, fixed fees for straightforward payment default matters, and controlled daily rates for larger or more complex disputes.

For monetary claims under construction contracts (such as variations, contra charges, set-offs or interest claims), adjudicator fees are capped by reference to the value of the claim.

Claim Value and Fee Cap (exclusive of GST):

• Up to $20,000: capped at $4,000
• $20,000 to $50,000: capped at $5,000
• $50,000 to $100,000: capped at $8,000
• $100,000 to $150,000: capped at $12,000
• $150,000 to $200,000: capped at $15,000
• $200,000 to $300,000: capped at $20,000
• $300,000 to $400,000: capped at $25,000
• $400,000 to $500,000: capped at $30,000

Claims seeking declarations only are capped at $10,000 (excl. GST).

Claims exceeding $500,000 are not subject to an overall fee cap. However, adjudicator fees are limited to $5,000 per day plus GST, which also applies to complex multi-issue matters.

Where a claim concerns failure to issue a payment schedule or other payment default under the Construction Contracts Act 2002, a fixed fee of $5,000 applies.

These matters are often capable of being determined efficiently because the statutory process is clear and the issues are narrow.

To support efficient case management, security may be requested upon nomination:

• Capped fee matters: 10% of the applicable capped fee
• Uncapped matters: 10% of the equivalent capped fee benchmark
• Fixed fee default claims: $2,500

Security is held on trust by Construction DRB.

Security payments should be made to the DRB Trust Account No. 03 1553-0044518-001

All adjudicators are required to maintain time records for work undertaken. Timesheets are to be provided with invoices issued following determination.