Hydraulic engineering

Dutch hydraulic engineers are global industry leaders

Hydraulic engineers among our clients are involved in the design, construction and maintenance in domestic or offshore waters for:

• water defences (dykes, quays)
• waterways and wetlands
• engineering structures (culverts, dams, locks, bridges)
• ports, jetties and quays
• dredging works (dredging and replenishment)
• flood protection (dyke improvement)
• land reclamation
• creating natural habitats
• shoaling

Exceptional challenges and requirements

When these activities take place in historic city centres, they pose additional challenges in terms of sustainability, nuisance and special requirements for working on world, cultural and monumental heritage sites.

We advise hydraulic engineers during the selection and award procedures in tendering procedures issued by governments and private parties. If necessary, we help hydraulic engineers as early as the information phase of a tendering procedure to correct contracting authorities who want to deviate from the mandatory regulations of standard terms and conditions such as the UAV-GC or RAW methodology.

At a national level, we advise on RAW contracts and increasingly on integrated and innovative contract forms in Dutch hydraulic engineering, such as UAV-GC 2005, performance contracts, Design & Build or Design & Construct, and two-phase contracts.

Offshore hydraulic engineers are engaged in dredging and reclamation, laying cables and pipelines and building structures, such as quays, foundations for drilling rigs and wind turbines. They approach us with questions about EPCI contract forms for offshore work, such as the FIDIC Yellow Book/Red Book and the IMCA Marine Construction Contracts Rev. 3.

Common disputes

We also advise hydraulic engineers in disputes about a wide range of issues, such as changes to and interpretation of specifications, contract variations, additional payments, claims for cost compensation and deadline extensions due to soil or seabed issues (UAV-GC par. 13) or unforeseen circumstances, stagnation, contamination, penalty and discount arrangements, application of the Delay & Disruption Protocol, prolongation claims, liquidated damages, mitigation measures, design or execution errors, CAR and AVB insurance policies, remedial works, latent defects and warranties.

We litigate before arbitrators from the Arbitration Board for the Building Industry, the NAI, the ICC or an ordinary court. Disputes are regularly resolved through ad hoc arbitration, mediation or binding opinion.