Arbitration and ADR
Expedited Procedure Provisions
ICC guidance on expedited arbitration draws on lessons learned, experience and practice of close to 800 expedited procedures. Produced by the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR Working Group on Expedited Procedure Provisions, the publications offer concrete guidance on how expedited procedures can be used confidently and effectively across a wide range of disputes.
The work comprises three major publications: a report, a toolkit and a factsheet – providing, respectively, a comprehensive review, a practical guidance note and a statistical overview of ICC’s Expedited Procedures.
ICC Report: Expedited Procedure Provisions – Eight Years On
When Expedited Procedure Provisions (EPP) were adopted by ICC and entered into force on 1 March 2017, the provisions marked a significant shift in international arbitration and within ICC Arbitration. The continued success of Expedited Procedure Provisions is testament to the quality of the process, which remains unfamiliar to some practitioners.
Drawing on analysis of the cases administered under Expedited Procedure Provisions since 2017, the report sets out lessons from emerging practices, presents key takeaways, and provides guidance to parties and arbitrators in expedited procedures and the wider arbitration community when conducting an expedited procedure or considering adopting Expedited Procedure Provisions for disputes.
ICC Toolkit for Arbitrators in Expedited Procedures
This toolkit supplements the Expedited Procedure Provisions Report and provides guidance to arbitrators involved in expedited procedures. The toolkit aims to enable arbitral tribunals constituted under the Expedited Procedure Provisions to meet tight deadlines and assist such tribunals in successfully navigating proceedings under the Expedited Procedure Provisions.
ICC Expedited Procedure Provisions Factsheet
The factsheet is a one-page document showcasing the key features and the success of Expedited Procedure Provisions proceedings, backed by the 2024 ICC Dispute Resolution Statistics.
ICC Expedited Procedures Provisions were introduced in 2017 for disputes up to US$2 million. These default rules mandate arbitral tribunals to use their discretion to manage the case more actively, adjust the process to what the dispute truly needs, and prevent any attempts to delay or complicate the proceedings. By 2024, the ICC Court had registered 865 Expedited Procedures Provisions cases, with a record of 189 cases in 2023.
“Back to basics and fundamentals in arbitration; the work of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR on expedited procedures highlights the efficiency, cost effectiveness and flexibility of Expedited Procedure Provisions, while upholding the quality of ICC awards and highest standards of fairness and due process. The Commission continues to address latest developments and global trends in dispute resolution, while providing concrete guidance to future Expedited Procedure Provisions arbitral tribunals, grounded in the experience of more than 800 expedited arbitrations administered since the introduction of Expedited Procedures Provisions in 2017 and the expertise of members.”
Hélène van Lith
Secretary, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR
“ICC’s Expedited Procedure is now tried and tested. It delivers on parties’ expectations regarding quality and speed of service. The EPP report and toolkit of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR support tribunals and parties in the conduct of EPP, including the management of complications that may inadvertently arise.”
Rogier Schellaars
Co-Chair, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR Working Group
“Despite the scepticism of many, the EPP undeniably met the users’ needs for speed and efficiency in about 900 cases now handled. The EPP have been a huge success since their creation in 2017. But beyond the numbers, clients, counsel and arbitrators have questions on how this tool works, how it can be scaled to the bulk of a corporation’s disputes and what it takes to prosecute and decide such disputes efficiently. After a year of investigation and consultation, the Working Group is proud to deliver their report and toolkit to provide guidance to navigate the EPP’s call for more forceful case management by tribunals, and understand some of the idiosyncratic rules aimed at making the issuance of an award in six months feasible. We are persuaded that the EPP will become the rule for all but the largest and most complex disputes.”
Yasmine Lahou
Co-Chair, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR Working Group
“Echoing the expedited procedure of ICC, the Working Group of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR, under the leadership of its co-chairs, has broken all records for speed and efficiency in producing a factsheet, a report, and a toolkit that will serve as a reference for all practitioners and arbitrators involved in expedited proceedings. One may only hope that this report will likewise serve as an inspiration for regular arbitral processes, fostering a salutary return to the fundamentals of effective and cost-efficient justice.”
Philippe Cavalieros
Vice-chair, ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR
