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The Privy Council has allowed an appeal by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), setting aside a multimillion-dollar award in favour of a St Augustine-based contractor and restoring the High Court’s dismissal of its original claim.

In a judgment delivered on January 22, the apex court overturned a 2023 decision of the Court of Appeal, which had awarded Uniform Building Contractors Ltd (UBC) $13.9 million, together with interest and costs, arising out of a dispute over a pipe-laying contract.

The case concerned a design-and-build, lump-sum contract signed in May 2007 under which UBC agreed to design, supply and install approximately 28 kilometres of pipeline from Rio Claro to Mayaro. The project, valued at just over $28 million, was divided into two packages. WASA terminated the contract in 2009, and UBC later brought proceedings claiming additional payment for what it said were variations to the works.