CFA Strengthens Its Support for Contract Resolutions by Backing the Conflict Avoidance Coalition

The Contract Flooring Association (CFA) has become a member of the Conflict Avoidance Coalition, which brings together hundreds of leading organisations working to prevent conflict and reduce disputes in infrastructure and the built environment. Established in 2017 by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), members include RIBA, CIARB, DRBF, CICES and ICC alongside industry representatives such as Skanska, Balfour Beatty Rail, Transport for London, Network Rail, Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal, NG Bailey, NHS Scotland, SFT Hubs, Land and Water Ltd, and Playle & Partners.

The Conflict Avoidance Coalition’s goal is summarised by its Pledge, which starts: ‘We believe in collaborative working and the use of early intervention techniques throughout the supply chain, to try to resolve differences of opinion before they escalate into disputes.’ It outlines a responsibility to ‘identify, promote, and utilise conflict avoidance mechanisms’ allied with the RICS Conflict Avoidance Process (CAP) framework. The Pledge is free to sign and by doing so you will be listed on the online Conflict Avoidance Directory.

CAP is an early intervention process that is increasingly applied in construction and engineering projects, which ensures that emerging issues, which would normally escalate into long, drawn-out, disputes, are addressed and resolved by the parties involved, without recourse to costly and time-consuming processes like adjudication, arbitration or litigation. There is no doubt there is growing interest in CAP, and several projects are now seeing provisions embedded into contracts to the extent that adoption of the process is becoming the norm, and not the exception.

By joining the Conflict Avoidance Coalition, the CFA strengthens its commitment to tackling a major cause of conflict within the contract flooring sector and encourages all members to work within best practice guidelines and the CAP framework, underpinned by the RICS’s professional standards and global expertise. CFA members are supported by the industry’s leading trade association to deliver the high levels of service, installation and support which specifiers and main contractors require.

Where conflict avoidance is not possible, contracting parties should work together to address emerging disputes early and resolve them collaboratively. The CFA offers free dispute resolution services for contractor members, involving a site inspection and report to facilitate the negotiation of a resolution for installation-related complaints. CFA consultants are required to be members of the Expert Witness Institute (EWI) or Academy of Experts (AoE), providing them with training in legal report writing, and to carry public liability and professional indemnity insurance, in addition to completing annual CPD.

Other CFA contractor member benefits aiding contract fulfilments include: contractual and legal advice helplines covering employment law, health and safety, tax and business, marketing, and adjudication; free credit checks; plus advice and support on all aspects of training for the flooring industry.

As the voice of the industry, the CFA offers industry benchmark technical advice, including the freely available CFA Guide to Contract Flooring and member-only guidance documents accessible from the Members’ Area. Additionally, the CFA develops key promotional campaigns aimed at tackling the main sources of on-site conflict, such as the Clear Our Workspace campaign, which addresses the significant challenge of maintaining clear and accessible workspaces on multi-trade sites.

CFA members can email info@cfa.org.uk or call 0115 941 1126 for further advice on conflict avoidance. Contractor members also benefit from the use of the CFA logo plus a free website directory listing and CFA handbook listing, helping to win new work.

To join the CFA, complete an online application at: www.cfa.org.uk.