Expertise

Paul Prescott, partner at Addleshaw Goddard leads the construction and engineering practice in Saudi Arabia. He has more than 20 years' experience, of which 12 years have been spent in the Middle East. 

Paul has substantial experience advising government departments, investors, sponsors, developers, lender clients, D&B and EPC contractors on major construction, infrastructure, wastewater and energy projects in the Middle East, including GIGA projects in Saudi Arabia. These have included logistics facilities, airport, road and heavy rail engineering infrastructure, stadia infrastructure and facilities, independent sewage treatment plants, and renewable energy projects in the Middle East and globally.

Paul has extensive knowledge and in-depth experience of standard form contracts for the procurement of construction and engineering projects using the FIDIC suite of contracts, NEC, ICC, ICE, MF/1 and LOGIC. He has considerable experience advising clients on PPP arrangements, EPC arrangements, framework agreements and target cost arrangements. 

Paul has been highlighted as WWL's recommended lawyer in 2024 for construction and is noted in the Spotlight Table in Chambers Global after being ranked for six consecutive years. He also has a Building Information Modelling Project Management certificate from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Paul was seconded to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the Government department responsible for procuring the infrastructure and facilities for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and the Olympic Delivery Authority’s in-house legal team during the peak period of procurement activity for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Experience

His sports infrastructure experience includes:

  • Advising the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy while on secondment on procurement strategies and contractual documentation for the stadium and precinct infrastructure projects for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
  • Advising bidders on numerous project appointments and sub-consultants appointments for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in the State of Qatar.
  • At the ODA, Paul was responsible for the drafting of the two target cost contracts to help deliver one of the largest construction projects in Europe to create the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (for the legacy conversion works to the Olympic Park post the Olympic Games), including the removal of temporary venues and structures on the Olympic Park, removal of Games-time elements of permanent venues and the reconfiguration of roads, bridges and other infrastructure for legacy-use.
  • At the ODA, Paul was involved with all stages of the project lifecycle from procurement strategy, contract strategy, tender, evaluation and award of the contract, contract administration, dispute avoidance, completion and hand-over and financial close out. He was involved with the contracts for the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome, International Broadcasting Centre and Media Press Centre, BMX track, Basketball, Waterpolo and Hockey venues, training facilities at Eton Manor, shooting venue at the Royal Artillery Barracks, non-competition training venues for athletics, basketball and hockey, transport enhancement projects including heavy rail projects, security capital works projects, the landscaping and public realm works and the associated asset protection and maintenance contracts for the venues and the landscape works, photovoltaic projects and the gas infrastructure network serving the Olympic Stadium.
  • Advising the Olympics legacy corporation on the conversion works to the Olympic Stadium and on ancillary construction matters, including the preparation of its template construction contract documentation for the procurement of further transformation works on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Education
  • Staffordshire University – Law Degree LLB (Hons) Qualification 1996 
Testimonials
  • "He gives me timely, practical advice. His knowledge of the market stands out, as does the quality of his advice".
  • Clients enthuse about [Paul's] "knowledge of the market; he can go to administrators and he really is a good deal-maker". 
  • [He] "is super client-friendly and supportive" Chambers and Partners Global

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