A Practical Decision-Making Framework for Extension of Time Claims Associated with Force Majeure Events

More than 2 years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction industry worldwide still faces myriad challenges. One such challenge is project delays for reasons beyond the parties' control that, in at least some instances, are due to government mandates and policies designed to control the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Such delays may provide contractors with contractual relief, including the right to file a claim for an extension of time (EOT) to perform its work on a given project. Based on our investigation and analysis, we believe that contractors could save time, effort, and money by using our decision-making framework (DMF) to evaluate, prepare, and submit their requests for extension of time claims due to events beyond their reasonable control, including force majeure events. We used thematic decision mapping to develop the framework and sought to validate the proposed decision-making framework in the field. Although our validation efforts were limited in scope, the decision-making framework provides contractors with a practical tool for contractors considering whether to submit a request for extension of the contract time due to force majeure events. (C) 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.