16 June 2026 • 2 minute read
A Practical Guide on NEC Projects – Your Rights, Risks and Points to Watch Out
Tuesday, 16 June 2026 | 17:30 – 19:30
DLA Piper
25th Floor
Three Exchange Square 8
Connaught Place
Central
Hong Kong
China
Direction
NEC contracts are intended to promote proactive and collaborative project management, yet in practice many disputes arise from how their processes are applied in real time rather than from major events themselves. Understanding how to operate these mechanisms effectively is key to avoiding issues that escalate into costly disputes.
We are delighted to have Simon Hughes KC to share practical insights on the NEC contract regime—focusing on the contract’s operational “engine” and the common pitfalls that cause issues to snowball into disputes, as well as English case law on how the English courts determine issues raised by the contracting parties.
Simon will also be supported by programming expert Ben Burley, and quantum expert Gina Leung for a discussion on the NEC requirements into defensible outcomes on time and money. The panel, moderated by our May Ng, will discuss how delay and quantum issues come in play for NEC projects, and providing robust views of compensation events looks like in practice, so that issues can be resolved while the project is still moving, rather than after positions have hardened.
Who should attend: Project managers, contract administrators, planners, quantity surveyors, engineers or in-house legal teams working on NEC projects (or projects considering NEC).
Your takeaway: A practical map of the NEC “must-dos”, the typical failure modes, and how legal / programme / quantum perspectives align to prevent disputes and strengthen your position if disputes cannot be avoided.
CPD accreditation
Hong Kong qualified lawyers are eligible to receive 1 CPD point, subject to approval by the Law Society of Hong Kong.
The one-hour panel discussion will start at 5:30 pm followed by drinks at 6:30 pm. Please register to secure your seat.
Moderator
May Ng
May Ng heads the Construction Disputes Practice of DLA Piper in Asia. May is recognised as a leading individual for Hong Kong Construction by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020-2026 and is singled out as being ‘extremely hands-on, with excellent technical industry knowledge’. May has been ranked by Chambers and Partners for Greater China Construction practice since 2019. She is named as one of the Top 100 Women in Litigation 2020-2022 and Star Litigator in Construction in 2023 to 2026 by the Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific, and she is also listed on Doyle’s Leading Construction & Infrastructure Litigation Lawyers – Hong Kong in 2026.
Panellists
Simon Hughes KC
Simon Hughes KC is a specialist silk from Keating Chambers and focuses on construction, engineering, shipbuilding and other off-shore and energy related disputes. He was “Construction Silk of the Year” at the Inaugural Legal 500 Middle East Awards in 2024 and was previously awarded “Construction and Energy Silk of the Year” for 2019 by the Legal 500. Simon is also the general editor of the renowned textbook authority, Keating on Construction Contracts, which has its own up to date commentary on NEC4.
Ben Burley
Ben Burley is a Managing Director at Secretariat and a leading construction delay expert specialising in complex, high value international disputes, with extensive experience advising on delay, disruption, acceleration and concurrent delay across major building, infrastructure, energy and rail projects worldwide. Widely recognised as a Thought Leader in delay analysis, he is known for his clear, forensic approach and ability to distil complex technical issues into persuasive expert opinions. Ben also has significant experience managing and training on NEC contracts, planning, programming and compensation events, reflecting his practical expertise in the application of NEC in both project delivery and dispute resolution.
Gina Leung
Gina Leung is a Director at Secretariat that specialises in the quantum expert field on construction disputes, with extensive experience in the dispute resolution of large scale complex international construction projects.
She has considerable knowledge and extensive working experience in New Engineering Contracts (NEC), particularly in Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) target cost options.
Gina Leung is the Chair of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (East Asia Branch), the largest branch within the reputable CIArb organisation.
Agenda
17:00 - 17:30 Registration
17:30 - 18:30 Seminar
18:30 - 19:30 Drinks