17. The principal Act is amended by inserting, immediately after section 38, the following sections:“Subsequent determinations |
38A.—(1) After an assessor has made a determination under section 38(1), the assessor or another assessor may, either on his or her own motion or on the application of one or both of the parties to the determination —(a) | vary or replace the determination if there has been a material change in the circumstances after it has been made and it is just and equitable for the variation or replacement to be made; or | (b) | require the parties to attend before the assessor after a specified time for a further review of the matter and to make any additional determination as is appropriate. |
(2) In considering whether it is just and equitable for a variation or replacement of the determination to be made under subsection (1)(a), or whether to make any additional determination under subsection (1)(b), the assessor must take into account the following factors:(a) | whether there has been any undue delay by the applicant in making the application for a subsequent determination under subsection (1); | (b) | whether any party to the affected contract has taken any action in reliance on the determination; | (c) | whether, in relation to the prescribed obligation or prescribed right under the affected contract, or the prescribed term in the affected contract —(i) | proceedings before a court have commenced; | (ii) | arbitral proceedings under the Arbitration Act have commenced; or | (iii) | an adjudication application has been made under section 13(1) of SOPA, |
and if so, the stage of the proceedings or application mentioned in sub‑paragraph (i), (ii) or (iii). |
|
|
(3) No action may be taken under subsection (1) if a judgment, an arbitral award or a determination has been given or made in relation to any proceedings or application mentioned in subsection (2)(c)(i), (ii) or (iii). |
(4) Section 38 applies with the necessary modifications to any determination made under subsection (1). |
|
Effect of Part 8 determination on operation of Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act |
38B.—(1) Where a determination has been made under section 38 or 38A (called in this section the Part 8 determination) to modify the manner in which an obligation or a right under a supply contract is to be performed or exercised, or to vary, or release or discharge a party from, a term in a supply contract, then the contract so adjusted is considered the contract for the purpose of taking any action (including determining an adjudication application or adjudication review application) in relation to it under SOPA.(2) When applying a provision of SOPA for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1) —(a) | a reference to a contract is to the contract so adjusted; and | (b) | a reference to a term or provision of a contract is (if that term or provision has been varied by the Part 8 determination) to the varied term or provision. |
|
(3) Accordingly, where the respondent has been released or discharged by the Part 8 determination from a term or provision of the supply contract, then, in determining for the purpose of SOPA the entitlement of the claimant to any payment from the respondent under the contract, that term or provision is disregarded to the extent the respondent has been so released or discharged. |
(4) An adjudication application or adjudication review application made in a case mentioned in subsection (1) must be accompanied by a copy of the Part 8 determination. |
(5) For the purpose of determining if a claimant under the supply contract is entitled to make an adjudication application under section 13 of SOPA after the Part 8 determination, in relation to a payment claim that was made before the date of the Part 8 determination —(a) | the question of whether the payment claim was made and served in accordance with the provisions of SOPA is to be determined by reference to the contract before it was adjusted by the Part 8 determination; and | (b) | the due date of the claimed amount under section 12(3)(a) of SOPA is, if it was adjusted by the Part 8 determination, the due date before the adjustment. |
|
(6) For the purpose of determining if an objection may be included in an adjudication response to an adjudication application mentioned in subsection (5), a reference to the relevant due date in section 15(3)(b) and (3A)(b) of SOPA is, if it was adjusted by the Part 8 determination, the due date before the adjustment. |
(7) However —(a) | an adjudicator when determining an adjudication application mentioned in subsection (5); or | (b) | a review adjudicator when determining an adjudication review application arising from a determination mentioned in paragraph (a), |
must disregard any payment claim, objection or any other information or document provided by a party, to the extent it is inconsistent with the contract as adjusted by the Part 8 determination. |
|
(8) This section applies despite any provision of SOPA or other written law. |
(9) In this section and section 38C —“adjudication application” means an adjudication application made under section 13 of SOPA; |
“adjudication review application” means an adjudication review application made under section 18 of SOPA; |
“adjudicator” means an adjudicator appointed under section 14(3) of SOPA to determine an adjudication application, and includes a replacement adjudicator appointed under section 14A(3) of SOPA; |
“authorised nominating body”, “claimant”, “payment claim”, “respondent” and “supply contract” have the meanings given by section 2 of SOPA; |
“review adjudicator” means a review adjudicator appointed under section 18(5)(b) of SOPA, and includes a panel of review adjudicators appointed under that provision, and a replacement review adjudicator or replacement member of a panel of review adjudicators appointed under section 18A(3) of SOPA. |
|
|
Section 38 powers may be exercised in adjudication, etc., under Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act |
38C.—(1) This section applies where a respondent, in objections raised under section 11(2) of SOPA, in the adjudication response under section 15 of SOPA, or during the determination of an adjudication application by an adjudicator under section 17 of SOPA —(a) | stated that this Part applies to the case; and | (b) | provided all of the information required to be set out in an application under section 37(1). |
(2) An adjudicator may, when determining the adjudication application under section 17 of SOPA, also exercise the powers mentioned in section 38(1)(a) and (b) as if he or she were an assessor determining an application under section 37, and section 38(2) applies with the necessary modifications to the exercise of those powers. |
(3) A review adjudicator may, when reviewing a determination of an adjudicator under section 19 of SOPA —(a) | review any determination of the adjudicator under subsection (2); and | (b) | substitute a determination mentioned in paragraph (a) with his or her own determination. |
|
(4) The Minister charged with the responsibility for SOPA may make regulations for the purpose of carrying out or giving effect to this section, and those regulations may in particular provide for the following:(a) | the forms to be used and the information or documents to be furnished; | (b) | the manner in which an adjudicator or a review adjudicator is to exercise or perform the duties or functions of an adjudicator or a review adjudicator, as the case may be; | (c) | a modification of a provision of SOPA or its regulations as is necessary or expedient for carrying out subsection (2) or (3). |
|
(5) This section applies despite any provision of SOPA or other written law. |
|
Effect of determination on court or tribunal proceedings |
38D. In any proceeding before a court or an arbitral tribunal in relation to any matter arising under or by virtue of a contract in relation to which a determination is made under section 38 or a subsequent determination is made under section 38A (as the case may be), the court or arbitral tribunal may make such orders as it considers appropriate, having regard to the determination and any action taken by a party to the contract in good faith and in reliance on the determination.”. |
|
|