• Architectural research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to suggest policies to improve the price escalation system in a construction contract through a Policy Delphi technique. The Delphi, including two times questionnaires and a group discussion, was conducted by joining 14 experts. Also, the escalation provisions of various countries were examined. Results of the Delphi showed that the minimum fluctuation rate for price escalation was desirable at a level of 3%. To compute the fluctuation rate, calculating the price fluctuation of overall articles was more desirable than using price indices. A bidding date was more reasonable as the initial date of change in price. Losses caused by price change should be shared between contractor and owner; therefore a deduction rate should be introduced in price escalation. Meanwhile, overhead and profit should be adjusted in proportion to the fluctuation rate; but advance payment or the delayed construction amount should be deducted from the adjusted amount.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.89-109
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• 2014

The purpose of price escalation clauses has the effect of increasing the L/C value subject to external pricing mechanisms. This will be found inter alia in metals and oil products transactions. Such a clause gives rise to a question. That is, whether it is enforceable or whether it constitutes a letter of credit. The problem is what to reference to a source outside the context of a letter of credit constitutes a non-documentary condition rendering the undertaking something other than a letter of credit. Reference to an objective and readily available index is not something that renders the undertaking obscure and is not "non-documentary in the sense that it is possible to make an objective verification of the data. The possible solution is that not every non-documentary condition will be disregarded. For example, an index specified in the credit will not be disregarded as stipulated in ISP98 and URDG758. If a non-documentary is "central and fundamental", it seems that the parties intended a dependent payment obligations. The most common means of overcoming this conflicts of interests is to issue an instrument incorporatingan escalation clause, but capping the bank's maximum payment obligation.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.5 no.6 s.22
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• pp.203-211
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• 2004

This study is the results to survey on the problems and improvable Policies for current escalation system in construction contracts, through a Delphi survey to experts. From the survey results, it is desirable to decide the fluctuation rate of construction cost, which is the requirement of escalation clause, on the basis of inflation rate or construction cost index. The desirable price fluctuation rate is proposed as a $3\%$ level. However, it is difficult for construction companies to cope with the sudden increase of material price in advance, arising from short-term shock factors such as exchange rate and international raw material's price. Accordingly escalation system for specified materials, as an exceptional mode, should be introduced. As a method to calculate the fluctuation rate, ARCA(adjustment rate for the categories of articles) is more desirable than ARI(adjustment rate for an index), because the ARCA can be more reflected the characteristics of each construction work.To rationalize the ARI method, it is needed to announce the wage index, material index and machinery expense index via detailed classification by construction types. Also, it is desirable to prescribe the bidding date as a starting date of the price change, rather than contact signing date. considering the price change can happen since the biddiilg stage.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.3-11
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• 2011

There are several causes to recalculate the contract amount in public construction projects. Among them, the escalation clause was introduced in 1969 and now the condition to recalculate the cost is effective after 90 days from the date of contract and the rate of fluctuation should be more than 3% from the date of bidding. The two calculation methods for the rate of fluctuation are item-adjustment and index-adjustment. According to the results of investigation into 4 public institutions and 163 projects, all of them have used the method of index-adjustment and the rate of projects that spend over 6 months obtaining the approval of contract amount adjustment is more than 90%. The reason for spending lots of time is caused by problems of the calculation method on the price fluctuation rate. Therefore, it is necessary that the calculation method should be diversified to cope with the problems and a option of the builder should be expanded as well. Furthermore, if the way to apply correction factors to construction price index and average index based on the producer and consumer price index made by the bank of Korea is added, then the duration will be reduced without additional expenses. This study proposed the diversification of the calculation method using price fluctuation rate and builders' expanded options as improvement on the managerial method of Price Fluctuation System for the prompt and efficient contract amount adjustment.