Derek Nelson is a “thorough” expert with the innate ability “to react quickly and master a lot of material within a short time”.
Derek is a chartered quantity surveyor and chartered engineering surveyor, with over 35 years of construction and engineering experience. He has acted as expert on over 50 occasions in delay, disruption and quantum matters.
Derek has held senior commercial and contracts positions for major international contractors and owners across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. His expertise includes matters of quantity surveying practice, valuation, damages, contract administration, contract management, commercial management and cost management, which he combines with his tested planning and delay analysis capabilities.
In addition to his expert commissions, Derek continues to provide clients with contractual advice, claims preparation and contract administration services on major contracts worldwide. He specialises in the preparation, negotiation and settlement of claims, whether disruption, acceleration or prolongation. Derek delivers advice and procedures to rapidly resolve or avoid disputes in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Derek is both an accredited and certified expert witness, fellow and current chairman of the Academy of Experts and has acted as a delay and quantum expert witness in arbitration, conciliation, litigation and mediation and as an expert determiner. He has been cross-examined on over 10 occasions and has delivered concurrent evidence in disputes from Belize to Brunei and Scotland to Singapore. Alongside his work as an expert adviser for ongoing projects, Derek undertakes the role of "project neutral", independently reviewing international projects in preventative, on-the-job dispute resolution.
Aside from his extensive accreditations and wide experience, Derek is often called upon to deliver training and seminars on contractual problems, claims preparation, negotiation and dispute resolution. Derek contributed the chapter "Disruption to Progress and Lost Productivity" to Delay and Disruption in Construction Contracts (fifth edition, first supplement).
He has a strong reputation with peers and clients alike and is described as someone who "performs well in cross-examinations" and offers "professional and consistently high-quality work", while referred to as "usually the quickest to comprehend the crux of a matter and from there he offers and communicates the practical options or solutions". Derek is "a gifted quantum expert" and commended for his "vigilance" during construction disputes. His technical background, coupled with his "intimate knowledge of international construction law and arbitration hearings", ensure that he is "highly sought after to testify in disputes".
Derek Nelson’s “professionalism, depth of experience and thoroughness in evaluation and analysis” is heralded by impressed respondents, with one effusing: “In short, he is all you would want in an expert - a true master.”
Derek Nelson is a fellow and current chairman of the Academy of Experts, having acted as expert determiner, adjudicator, mediator and panel member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators' business arbitration scheme, with extensive experience as an independent expert witness in litigation and domestic and international arbitration.
A chartered quantity surveyor and a chartered engineering surveyor and commercial manager, Derek is an accredited and certified expert witness, an accredited mediator and accredited expert determiner. His experience covers 40 years in the construction industry.
Derek is frequently retained to prepare independent expert witness reports in construction and engineering disputes in litigation, arbitration, adjudication and conciliation. He is an accredited expert and fellow with both the Academy of Experts and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, as well as a certified expert witness through Cardiff University and Bond Solon, who has been appointed in the role of independent expert witness on over 70 occasions, addressing issues in combination of delay, quantum and disruption and the interaction of the same and has testified in both court and arbitration proceedings on such matters on over 15 occasions, including giving concurrent evidence.
He has successfully acted on behalf of both referring and responding parties in a number of adjudication referrals under statutory provisions in the UK, Singapore and Malaysia, and internationally in connection with dispute adjudication and dispute review boards and is accredited as an expert determiner with The Academy of Experts.
Derek is a contributing author to Delay and Disruption in Construction Contracts, fifth edition, first supplement, chapter 17, 'Disruption To Progress And Lost Productivity'.
To date, Derek’s geographical experience includes Belgium, Belize, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lao, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
He has a strong reputation with peers and clients alike and is commended for "the breadth and depth of his experience". Derek “performs well under cross-examination” according to respondents, who praise his “clear and well-researched reports”. The “impressive” Derek Nelson is a “much respected” figure in the market, commended by respondents for his outstanding work dealing with quantum, delay and disruption disputes. The "highly respected" Derek Nelson is recognised for his "depth and breadth of technical know-how and industry experience" when it comes to complex construction disputes. Derek Nelson has a broad international practice and impresses peers with his "high- quality reports, well substantiated conclusions and excellent performance under cross-examination". Derek Nelson “performs well in cross-examinations” and offers “professional and consistently high-quality work” whilst referred to as “usually the quickest to comprehend the crux of a matter and from there he offers and communicates the practical options or solutions”. Derek is “a gifted quantum expert” that is commended for his “vigilance” during construction disputes. Nelson’s technical background coupled with his “intimate knowledge of international construction law and arbitration hearings” ensure that he is “highly sought after” to testify in disputes.