On 02 February 2015 the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced that the new ICC Expert Rules had been brought into force.
These clarify the ICC’s expanded services to help companies, judges, arbitrators and other parties find and use experts in resolving their cross-border disputes around the world.
The new 2015 ICC Expert Rules replaced the 2003 ICC Rules for Expertise on 01 February 2015. They will be administered by the ICC International Centre for Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as part of ICC's broad suite of dispute resolution services.
ICC handled a growing number of cases under the outgoing Rules for Expertise, reaching some 350 cases over 12 years. While in 2013 many of these related to Internet domain names, during the other years the cases involved helping businesses worldwide in a huge range of sectors, from food to finance, chemicals to construction, energy to transport.
Interesting is also the international reach of the Centre's work - not only have parties from over 50 nationalities requested the Centre's services over the years, but the Centre also regularly identifies experts from the most diverse regions and sectors.
Under the ICC Expert Rules, disputing parties can save time and money by asking the ICC International Centre for ADR for its neutral, independent help in finding and working with relevant experts, even in highly specialised fields.
These include consulting engineers, construction specialists, accountants, lawyers and bankers and experts in more exotic fields, for example agricultural experts.
The standalone set of the ICC Rules for Administered Expert Proceedings has now expended provisions which ensure a cost- and time-efficient dispute resolution procedure which - depending on the parties' agreement - leads to a binding or non-binding expert report.
The Rules specifically set out procedural safeguards to ensure that the report is obtained in an efficient and fair process.
The new Expert Rules can be used independently or in conjunction with other procedures such as ICC Arbitration.
They are grouped into three sets, each covering a distinct area of ICC dispute resolution services: the Proposal of Experts and Neutrals, the Appointment of Experts and Neutrals, and the Administration of Expertise Proceedings.