Sound advice helps make the right choices

Croon lawyers supports Amsterdam municipality

Croon advocaten is the law firm the municipality of Amsterdam works with when it comes to metro and streetcar related matters. Croon advocaten has been supporting the municipality of Amsterdam for years with complex projects and thinks along with them about issues such as procurement strategy, contract forms, drafting the right documents, assessing documents and gives all-round legal advice. No surprise then that we also encounter Croon advocaten within the project AWA (Aanpak Wegtunnels Amsterdam).

Birgit Le Haen, lawyer and partner at Croon advocaten, is closely involved in the Piet Hein Tunnel project and speaks to us. "As a law firm, we advised the City of Amsterdam and determined the procurement strategy with them. This described the tasks involved in this project and the particularities of this work. We also looked at the best form of contract for this project, which turned out to be an alliance agreement," she opens the conversation.

Operating at the top of the chain

"After it was determined that an alliance agreement for the Piet Hein Tunnel would be best, we looked at what procurement procedure would be appropriate. Then the tender documents and agreements were drafted by us. The review of the final documents was also on our side. We operate at the top of the chain and are also brought in for atypical discussions, to give advice on how to deal with them; all in the light of the agreement. Should something go wrong in the cooperation that cannot be resolved in consultation, Croon advocaten can also litigate for the municipality of Amsterdam if necessary."

The fact that Croon Lawyers works on behalf of the City of Amsterdam does not mean that only the client is taken into account. Birgit explains: "When drafting the contract, we take into account the interests of both the Municipality and the contractor. The aim is to draw up fair and workable contracts that are balanced. In the unlikely event that discord does arise within the alliance, the municipality will turn to us for advice."

Available continuously

Croon advocaten is available for the Piet Hein tunnel on an ongoing basis for the municipality of Amsterdam. Birgit: "That was very intensive in the first months of the project, in which all the choices had to be made and documents drafted. By now everything is running and we are simply 'standby' for the municipality, ready to answer any questions." By working at the front of the chain, Croon advocaten prevents potential problems from escalating further down the chain. "That this works well is proven by the fact that we actually never have to deal with procurement disputes in the projects in which we are involved in the preliminary phase," says Birgit. "We therefore have specialized knowledge and know what we are talking about."

Legal and civil engineering 'professional idiot'

Birgit has her heart set on construction and procurement law: "The first two years of my career I did not yet work within construction and procurement law, I just 'fell into' it. Now, 20 years on, I am more or less addicted to it. Legally, the material involved is very interesting, but the work is also just very concrete. There are real stories behind your practice. You physically see something grow within a project that you support and are involved in from the beginning. A bit of a 'professional idiot' in the legal and civil engineering field I am by now."