Meet the Team

Stephen Kobylanski

Director – Contracts | Claims

Steve is a contracts management and claims specialist with over 40 years’ experience in the building and civil engineering industry having previously worked in the UK, Europe, Asia and now, the Middle East.

Based exclusively in the United Arab Emirates since 2006, Steve has provided claims management and contracts advisory services on a variety of major projects in the GCC region. These include airports, various energy related projects, Dubai Expo 2020, a military airbase, hotels, hospitals and commercial, retail and residential developments.

Steve has extensive experience in managing, as well as preparing and defending claims for extensions of time and additional payment. Steve also has extensive experience in contracts administration, providing contractual advice and assistance, as well as experienced in the resolution of construction disputes.

Although Steve is very much hands-on in terms of claims preparation, he has managed teams of directly employed staff as well as support staff provided by clients, in preparing substantial claims for additional time and payment, on some of the Middle East’s most significant and complex construction projects.

Steve is degree qualified having obtained an MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, has a Post Graduate Diploma in Arbitration, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; and, as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Building, is now formally recognized as a Chartered Construction Manager.

Steve is extremely personable and is particularly adept at
working with clients and clients’ personnel in terms of identifying what needs to be focused on and what information needs to be provided in order to assist clients achieve their objectives. Not only does Steve excel at addressing complex issues, but he has a genuine desire to help contracting companies and therefore is extremely driven and results orientated.

Andrew Gibson

Director – Forensic Planning

Andy is a forensic planning specialist with in excess of 30 years’ building and civil engineering experience, having worked in the United Kingdom, Asia and the Middle East (the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait), providing delay analysis services and forensic planning and related assistance to major local and international contractors and joint ventures on some of the regions’ most significant projects. These include airports, Dubai Expo 2020, a museum, a military airbase, hotels, a hospital, shopping malls, residential and office developments, and theme parks.

Andy possesses extensive experience in the preparation of forensic planning and detailed delay and concurrency analyses, utilizing for example, time slice windows analysis, collapsed as-built, as-planned versus as-built, and the time impact form of analysis. His reputation in his field is second to none.

Andy is also experienced in providing planning support and the giving of oral evidence as an expert witness in arbitration, and has provided specialist forensic planning input in relation to an adjudication, as well as being involved in the giving of a detailed presentation relating to programming issues during a mediation. Additionally, Andy has provided technical assistance for a number of published articles and guidance notes, which includes the first edition of the Society of Construction Law Delay and Disruption Protocol (2002).

Andy is extremely passionate about what he does, and is also extremely driven and results orientated, and his quiet persona belies a steely determination to always get the best possible results for the client.