Project Neutral

Definition:

A project neutral, sometimes called a standing neutral is a trained ADR specialist, who is familiar with the project scope and schedule, keeps up to date on a project’s status, and is “on-call” during the construction project to help resolve disputes quickly that cannot be readily settled by the parties. The project neutral may be empowered to make binding decisions on disputes up to a certain dollar amount. Otherwise, the neutral’s decisions are merely advisory. A key advantage of a project neutral is to allow the parties to resolve change orders, design disputes, site condition issues quickly and efficiently as they arise rather than wait for a trial or arbitration. Architects and engineers are often empowered as an “initial decision maker,” or “arbiter,” of project disputes. The project neutral functions in a similar role.