Notwithstanding that project scale significance and complexity, it was interesting to see the importance given and the duration of the public engagement which took place in the planning phase. It is very often to see in key infrastructure projects, not making community engagement a priority during the planning phase and beyond, and project owners missing out on a range of important benefits. For the project team, the public engagement process is used to secure support, collect opinions, and address grievances about the project. For community members, the public engagement process is used to voice complaints, lobby for change, and negotiate benefits for themselves or on behalf of their community. Allowing stakeholders to express any concerns and show they are being heard can lead to community support for the project and increase the likelihood of planning success. The power of certain interest groups should not be underestimated, given their potential ability to bring proceedings to a halt or delay the execution phase of a project.
Consequences for project owners failing to address an effective stakeholder management process are delayed timelines for delivery, discomfort to end-users, delayed access to safe infrastructures and broadly added costs to the project. The Contractor may ordinarily have entitlement to additional time and money. Contractors are entitled to an extension of time when they suffer delay, or will be delayed. Further, if the Contractor obtains an extension of time, may also be in a position to recover time-related costs of remaining on site longer. As an example, for the Employer's delay in handing over the Site to the Contractor, the Contractor is entitled to an extension of time (Right of Access to the Site) in all FIDIC form of contracts, Red, Yellow and Silver. A stakeholder engagement plan is essential to organise engagement approaches. The effectiveness of the stakeholder engagement strategy should be continuously monitored and validated. This involves assessing whether the engagement efforts are meeting the stakeholders’ needs and adjusting the strategy as necessary. Feedback from stakeholders can provide valuable insights into how the engagement strategy might be improved.
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