01
Project development and structuring
Advising on project structures, participation arrangements, development agreements and the legal framework for delivery.
Practice Areas
Projects, Infrastructure& Construction
Complex delivery, coherent legal structure
Major projects succeed or fail on how clearly responsibility, risk and interface are defined before work begins.
Our projects & construction practice
From development through to delivery.
Paraphoenix Solicitors advises sponsors, developers, public-sector participants, contractors, subcontractors, investors and financiers on infrastructure and construction projects.
Projects involve multiple contracts operating as one system. Development agreements, construction contracts, supply arrangements, financing documents and operating contracts must fit together, or gaps and overlaps appear precisely when a project is under pressure.
Our focus is on the coherence of the contractual structure as a whole: how risk is allocated, how interfaces are managed, how change is handled, and how the parties resolve issues without derailing delivery.
Key capabilities
What we advise on
02
Construction and engineering contracts
Preparing and negotiating construction, engineering and design contracts, including standard-form based and bespoke arrangements.
03
Procurement and supply chain
Advising on procurement strategy, subcontracting, equipment supply and logistics arrangements supporting delivery.
04
Concessions and public-private arrangements
Advising on concession, availability and other long-term arrangements involving public-sector counterparties.
05
Risk allocation and interface management
Advising on how risk is distributed across a project's contracts and how interface, delay and change risk is managed.
06
Operation and maintenance
Advising on operating, maintenance and asset-management arrangements following completion.
07
Claims and contract administration
Supporting clients on variations, extensions of time, payment, defects, suspension and termination under project contracts.
08
Project finance interfaces
Coordinating project documentation with financing requirements, conditions precedent and lender protections.
How we support a project
A disciplined approach to project delivery
- 01
Development
Advising on project structure, participants, approvals and the contractual architecture required for delivery.
- 02
Procurement
Supporting procurement strategy, tendering, contractor selection and the negotiation of principal contracts.
- 03
Contracting
Preparing and negotiating construction and related documents with clear risk allocation and interface management.
- 04
Delivery
Advising during construction on change, programme, payment, quality and emerging contractual issues.
- 05
Completion and operation
Supporting completion, handover, defect management and long-term operating arrangements.
Risk & interface
Where projects usually come under strain
Most project disputes originate in a small number of predictable places: scope, programme, change, payment and interface.
We work with clients to address these areas deliberately at the contracting stage rather than leaving them to be resolved under pressure later, and to build practical mechanisms for managing change during delivery.
Where issues do arise, we support clients in managing them commercially and in preserving their position under the contract.
Selected project capabilities
- Scope definition and specification review
- Programme, milestones and extension of time provisions
- Variation and change-control mechanisms
- Payment, security and performance instruments
- Liquidated damages and liability regimes
- Interface and coordination arrangements
- Defects, warranties and completion regimes
- Suspension, termination and step-in rights
Cross-border projects
International participants, Nigerian delivery
Infrastructure projects commonly involve international contractors, equipment suppliers, investors and lenders. Paraphoenix can act as the central legal point for Nigerian aspects of such projects and, where appropriate, coordinate with carefully selected independent local counsel and professional advisers in other jurisdictions.
We focus on ensuring that international standard forms and financing requirements sit coherently with the Nigerian law position and with the practical realities of local delivery.
Sector perspective
Our projects work supports clients in sectors where capital investment, long delivery timelines and regulated infrastructure intersect.
Related perspective
Read practical perspectives on the legal and commercial developments affecting business in Nigeria and across borders.
Integrated support
Bringing the relevant disciplines together
Mandates in this practice frequently engage other areas of law. Depending on the matter, our Projects, Infrastructure & Construction practice works alongside the firm’s other practices so that clients receive a coherent view of the issue rather than fragmented advice.
Why Paraphoenix
Commercial perspective
We understand how contractual terms affect programme, cost and the working relationship between project parties.
Senior involvement
Important mandates receive close senior attention, supporting continuity and accountable decision-making.
International experience
Our experience of multinational environments informs our approach to cross-border project delivery.
Clear execution
We emphasise practical drafting, disciplined contract administration and responsive communication.