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2 Const. L. Int'l 18 (2007)
Book Review

handle is hein.journals/cnstrcnl2 and id is 20 raw text is: Keating on Construction Contracts Stephen Furst QC and Justice Sir Vivian Ramsey (eds) Thomson Sweet & Maxwell 8th Edition (2006) Price: £315 ISBN: 0-421 89990-5 / 978-0-421-89990-2 E very day, in construction law offices from Aberdeen to Auckland, the cry goes out: 'Get me Keating!' Alongside Hudson's Building and Engineering Contracts, Keating on Construction Contracts has for decades dominated the landscape of construction law in Commonwealth countries. With the arrival of the eighth edition in August 2006, practitioners have access to a comprehensively updated statement of, and commentary upon, the law as it relates to the key topics in our area of practice. As with previous editions, production of the text has very much been a team effort, primarily undertaken by members of the renowned construction, engineering and technology practice of Keating Chambers in London and drawing upon the Chambers' database of case reviews. The editors acknowledge the assistance of 13 contributors (including Professor John Uff and his fellow Queen's Counsel, Ian Pennicott, David Thomas, Paul Darling and Adrian Williamson) and a further 13 researchers. The harnessing of such expertise in a single volume (albeit one that now runs to just shy of 1,200 pages) has made successive editions of Keatinga compulsory purchase for construction lawyers. For many practitioners, however, the question will arise as to whether obtaining the latest edition is indeed a value- for-money purchase, especially in the light of the 2004 publication of the supplement to the seventh edition. The answer to this must be a resounding 'yes', especially for those practitioners based in England or advising upon contracts governed by English law. The eighth edition has many new or substantially revised features which reflect the ongoing development of construction law and practice in the UK and further afield. Apart from the updating of the commentary throughout, these features include the following: * The book has changed its title from 'Building' to 'Construction' contracts. The editors explain this change, which is dovetailed throughout the commentary, as reflecting the evolving nature of the industry and its contracting methodologies, especially during the past two decades. As they note - highlighting the rise of, on the one hand, design and build contracting and, on the other hand, construction management and partnering, alongside the increasing technical complexity of construction disputes - our area of law today encompasses so much more than 'traditional' building projects. The commentary on the standard forms of contract which take their names from the Joint Contracts Tribunal JCT) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) - together with reproductions of the forms this commentary takes up close to half of the book - have been rewritten to deal with, respectively, the 2005 version of the JCT Standard Form of Building Contract and the revisions, in 2003 and 2004, to the ICE Standard Form of Civil Engineering Contract. While, as the authors of these commentaries (respectively, Adrian Williamson QC and Professor John Uff QC) acknowledge, these forms are by no means the only contracts used in the UK (see, especially, Professor Uff's reference to the New Engineering Contract and its 'radical new approach'), the text remains an invaluable companion to these commonly used forms. * Chapter 17 is now devoted solely to the impact upon UK construction contracting of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the relevant parts of which are conveniently set out at the back of the book) and, in particular, its scheme for adjudication of construction disputes. In the preface to the seventh edition, the editors noted that adjudication 'has largely confounded its critics and become an established feature of dispute resolution' but queried whether ultimately it would Book reviews and letters if you know of a publication that should be brought to the attention of iCP members, or would like to review such a publication, please contact the Editors at editors@constructionlawinternational.com. Your letters to the Editors are also welcome. CONSTRUCTION LAW INTERNATIONAL Volume 2 No I April 2007

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