It is interesting to note that FIDIC is planning to launch the updated version of its Short Form (Green Book) contract at the end of this year / start of next year. Although technically part of the rainbow suite of contracts, along with the much more widely used Red, Silver, and Yellow contracts, the Green Book seemed to have been overlooked when the updated versions of its siblings were released in 2017.
Those 2017 rainbow suite updates were the first updates since the 1999 version, addressing transparency, clarity and certainty in the drafting, improved balance between the parties, and improved project management and avoidance of disputes. Now that the Green Book is getting its own updated version, more than 20 years after the first edition, presumably the changes to it will have similar focus.
Inevitably, the brevity of the Green Book has meant it occupies a slightly odd space; it is brief and intended for simple works, while being suited for international use as is so valued and inherent in FIDIC contracts. How “short” the Green Book remains in its latest evolution remains to be seen, as does the extent and type of projects on which it is called into use.
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