ACT: Adjudicator's Time and Matters Decided

The adjudicator must decide an adjudication application within:

• 10 business days after the earlier of the date on which the adjudication response is received or the date on which the adjudication response should have been received; or
• If the respondent has no right to lodge an adjudication response, as expeditiously as possible and within 10 business days from the date on which the respondent receives the adjudication application; or
• Such further time as agreed by the claimant and respondent.

An adjudicator cannot make a decision earlier than the date of expiration of the period allowed for the respondent to submit an adjudication response.

An adjudicator may seek further submissions from a party. In this case very strict deadlines will be set as a call for further submissions does not extend the statutory time requirements unless agreed by the parties. An adjudicator will also give the other party opportunity to comment on the submission. Sometimes a party may seek the opportunity to make a further submission. Approval is at the total discretion of the adjudicator. In such circumstances, adjudicators regularly make their consent conditional on both parties agreeing to extend the time for the adjudicator to make the decision.

The adjudicator may decide in his or her discretion that either a conference or an inspection or both is required before finalising a decision. Most adjudicators are reluctant to convene a conference/inspection as their decision must be made within 10 business days from the date on which the adjudicator accepts the adjudication application or such further time as agreed by the claimant and respondent. Only the parties themselves can make any comments at the conference/inspection on written submission already provided to the adjudicator. Comments or submissions by others such as consultants or witnesses can't be sought or considered by the adjudicator. The adjudicator's ability to make a decision is not affected by failure of one or more parties to attend or make submissions or comments.

The adjudicator cannot act as a mediator or arbitrator during the conference/inspection or at any other time prior to making a decision. However the parties may, through agreement, extend the period for the making of the adjudicator's decision and during this extended period apply to Adjudicate Today for the appointment of a mediator.

In reaching a decision, the adjudicator will consider:

• The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2009 (ACT);
• The contract (oral or written);
• The payment claim;
• The payment schedule (if any);
• The adjudication application;
• The adjudication response (if any);
• The results of inspections (if any); and
• Any other further submissions which the adjudicator allows the parties to make.

The adjudicator will decide the following:

• The amount of the progress payment, if any, which the respondent must pay the claimant;
• The date on which the amount became or becomes payable;
• The rate of interest payable on such amount; and
• The proportion of adjudication fees payable by each party.

If the work or goods or services has already been valued in a previous adjudication, the same value must be attributed, unless the adjudicator is satisfied that the value has changed since the previous adjudication.

An adjudicator can't decide that the claimant will pay the respondent money. However set-offs or deductions to the value of the claimant's payment claim may be decided. Similarly an adjudicator will not award an amount greater than the amount claimed in the payment claim.

Process:

The adjudicator's written decision is forwarded to Adjudicate Today who bills the claimant and serves the decision on both the claimant and the respondent. The decision is not released until the adjudication fees (which include a service fee paid by the adjudicator to Adjudicate Today) have been paid.

Please move to the next step on the ACT flowchart being "Respondent must pay any adjudicated amount either within 5 business days of service of the Decision on the Respondent or by Due Date of Payment, whichever is the later