ABSTRACT
When projects go wrong because of ground conditions, it is sometimes because those adverse ground conditions were truly onerous and unpredictable but other times because of poor ground characterisation and modelling. Furthermore, if and when things end up in litigation it is often clear that the problem has been exacerbated by the way the project was set up, managed and contracted (Muir Wood, 2000; Baynes, 2007). Quite often, good practice, which is set out in standards and the literature, is simply not followed because of lack of knowledge, experience or application in the engineering teams or for commercial reasons. Where unexpectedly difficult conditions are encountered during a project, for whatever reason, the consequences can be minimised provided the attitudes of the various parties are to work together to solve the issues. This is often a simple matter of good professional practice on both sides but can be actively encouraged in contracts, as discussed in Chapter 2.
