What notice must a contractor give for a FIDIC claim and what happens if it is late?

FIDIC contracts require a contractor to give written notice of a claim for additional time or money within a set period after it became aware (or should have become aware) of the event giving rise to the claim, followed by a fully detailed claim with supporting particulars within a further period. The notice is a condition: under the standard wording, if the contractor fails to give notice within the required time, it can lose its entitlement to the extension of time or extra payment entirely, even if the underlying claim was otherwise valid. This 'time-bar' is one of the most common reasons construction claims fail. That said, in onshore UAE there is argument about how strictly such time-bars operate against the Civil Transactions Law's principles of good faith and the rule against forfeiting established rights, so a late notice is not always automatically fatal — it is fact-specific. The practical lesson is to issue notices early and in writing. If you have missed a deadline, get advice quickly rather than assuming the claim is dead. Compare verified UAE construction professionals on LEXAI.