22 | In Practice
“Our main strength is the client relationship” What are the ‘touchstone’ qualities that have empowered TBH to build a notable presence in the dispute resolution marketplace? How is that sector evolving and in what ways will TBH seek to create a more proactive, transparent approach to dispute management? Middle East Consultant spoke to George Matta, Director & Partner, TBH, and Dina Dweik, Senior Associate, TBH, about the industry’s opportunities and new horizons…
s a background”, says George, “when people ask us about the company’s growing profile in dispute resolution, I explain that this has resulted from the fact that we are, at our core, a team of experts - one that has always come together to help our clients in whatever ways are best and necessary. We don’t just have expertise in the actual project execution. We benefit from a wide range of front and back-end skills - whether that may be planners, quantity surveyors, and so on - and it’s this broad mix of experience that means we can understand each and every factor in a project, and therefore be well-placed to lead a very detailed dispute resolution.” May 2024
“A great example of this”, explains Dina, “is that sometimes, we are working on a client project and then go on to help that same client with dispute resolution. For example, I’m currently working on a dispute resolution for a particular client, while my colleagues have been working on the same client’s project planning and execution over the last two years! So, this means there is an organic continuity; we know all the details about how the project unfolded and know exactly where any challenges have arisen.” George continues: “That hands-on skillset is vital in terms of maintaining credibility. For instance, in court-room situations, there have been a few occasions when the judge has asked me: “Mr. Matta, when was the last time you actually managed a project?” You absolutely must have all the practical working experience, because otherwise your advice will be seen as purely theoretical. “Our background over the years has been all about having the in-depth experience of every aspect of project work, and therefore being able to plan
contingencies for whenever problems arose. TBH started 59 years ago - at that time there was no programming software, and everything was done by hand, including the critical path analysis, in a completely analogue world. We rapidly learned that with any client project, the unexpected can always occur, and we evolved the most effective, proactive approaches to solve these problems.” BUILDING THE SKILL-SETS OF THE FUTURE If ever there was a primary ‘people skill’, it’s dispute resolution. So, what is TBH doing about hiring and training a new generation of professionals in order to build further market presence?
“In terms of our approach”, says George, “we have two streams. Of course, sometimes, like everyone else, we have to do lateral hires, but it’s not easy, because our expertise is quite unique. The way we are dealing with this is through hiring young graduates and then training them on the necessary key skills. Make no mistake: these young recruits are very meconstructionnews.com