WA: Adjudicator's Determination

The adjudicator must determine an adjudication application:

• Within 10 business days from when the adjudicator received the adjudication response, or the date the response would have been due or, if the respondent has no right to serve an adjudication response, 10 business days after the claimant and respondent received notice of the adjudicator's acceptance of the application.
  
  
• Such further time to a maximum of an additional 20 business days as is agreed by the claimant and respondent.

An adjudicator cannot make a determination 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 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 determination.

The adjudicator may decide in his or her discretion that either a conference or an inspection or both is required before finalising a determination. An adjudicator may decide to engage an expert. Most adjudicators are reluctant to convene a conference/inspection as their is insufficient time given the strict period in which the determination must be made. 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 determination 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 determination. However the parties may, through agreement, extend the period for the making of the adjudicator's determination and during this extended period apply to Adjudicate Today for the appointment of a mediator.

In reaching a determination, the adjudicator will consider:

• The Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2021 (WA);
• The contract (oral or written);
• The payment claim;
• The payment schedule (if any);
• The adjudication application;
• The adjudication response (if any);
• The results of conferences/inspections (if any);
• Where an expert is commissioned by the adjudicator, the expert report; and
• Any other further submissions which the adjudicator allows the parties to make.

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

Right to Withdraw

A claimant may provide written withdrawal of an adjudication application at any time before the application is determined. An adjudicator is entitled to be paid their reasonable fees to the time of the withdrawal of the application.

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