Site visit model protocol for international arbitration
Site visits can be a helpful procedural tool in international arbitrations. They serve two general purposes. First, a visit to the project’s site can give an arbitral tribunal a better understanding of the project, providing important context for the parties’ submissions. Second, a site visit can facilitate the gathering of evidence.
This Site Visit Model Protocol for International Arbitration has been prepared by an IBA Arbitration Committee Working Group to assist parties in discussing and organising their site visit, and sets out the Working Group’s understanding of best international practice for the conduct of site visits.
The Working Group hopes that the Model Protocol will assist the arbitral community in better understanding and regulating site visits to ensure understanding of the projects and access to evidence, all towards the goal of ensuring a fair, efficient, and productive arbitral process.
This project would not have been possible without the support of the IBA Arbitration Committee, as well as all the institutional and individual contributors who generously provided their feedback and insight during the period of public consultation in October and November 2023. While there are too many to name individually, the Working Group acknowledges their contribution and sincerely thanks them.
Ema Vidak Friedman
Zelda Hunter
Co-Chairs of the Working Group for the Site Visit Model Protocol