What happens after an adjudication decision?
The losing party pays within the days the decision sets; if it does not, the winner enforces in court. The losing party may later open a true value dispute or litigate, and both sides update the account to reflect the decision.
Updated: 15 September 2026. By Jack Butler-Kettle, Quantity Surveyor & Claims Consultant.
The answer
Four things, in order. The decision states when payment is due, and the paying party pays; the adjudicator's fees are paid as the decision allocates them, usually by the losing party, with both parties jointly liable to the adjudicator. If payment does not arrive, the winning party applies to the court for summary enforcement, which is quick and succeeds unless the adjudicator lacked jurisdiction or acted unfairly. The losing party may, after paying, refer a true value dispute to adjudication or take the matter to court or arbitration, subject to the contract's dispute clause. And the payment records and account are updated so the decided sum appears in the next cycle's previous payments rather than being argued again. What is not available is withholding the decided sum while the losing party thinks about it.
Example
The situation
An adjudicator decides for £74,000 plus the adjudicator's fees, payable within seven days. The payer has to comply, and its quantity surveyor has to record the payment and prepare for what follows.
What happens
- The payer pays £74,000 within the seven days and pays the fees on the adjudicator's invoice.
- Its quantity surveyor records £74,000 as paid in the next application reconciliation.
- The quantity surveyor prepares a true value position for the account, showing why the work was worth less.
The outcome
The true value position is held for a later referral, if the difference justifies one.
Final Account Dispute carries the decided sum into the account and the position that follows it.