Expedited Procedure: a shorter route to a sound award.

Faster through discipline, not shortcuts

This guide explains how the procedure works. Eligibility, timelines, powers and consequences are set by the Rules adopted by the Global Council in April 2026.

Compressed

Fewer gaps between steps, shorter response periods and a tight timetable.

Tribunal-led

The tribunal takes early control of issues, evidence, applications and the hearing format.

Focused

Effort goes into the issues needed to decide the dispute, not a standard case run on a shorter calendar.

Technology-enabled

Secure digital exchange, virtual case management and remote hearings where they suit the case.

Flexible

If fairness or complexity calls for more time or steps, the tribunal can adjust the timetable.

Realistic about timing

Award timing takes account of jurisdiction, evidence, party conduct and due process, so the award stays safe.

From tribunal to award

The tribunal and UNIONE™ adapt the sequence to your dispute. Each party keeps equal treatment and a fair chance to present its case, and the procedure stays sound for enforcement.

Constitute quickly

Tribunal appointment, disclosures and first procedural contact happen promptly.

Set the case

Jurisdiction, merits, evidence and relief issues are identified at the first case-management stage.

Run short phases

Limited rounds of submissions, targeted evidence and firm control of applications.

Hear and decide

A proportionate hearing, then a prompt award under the Rules.

When the expedited track fits

These factors can support using this track, subject to the Rules and any agreement between the parties.

Commercial urgency

Delay would seriously affect operations, financing, ownership, supply, project delivery or recovery.

Contained dispute

The dispute can be managed fairly without many sequential phases.

Evidence can be narrowed

Documents, witnesses and experts can be focused early.

Parties can move quickly

Counsel, witnesses, experts and decision-makers can meet the timetable.

Uncertainty is costly

A quick decision on the merits can be better than a long fight over interim measures.

The Rules allow it

Eligibility and any designation follow the Rules in force.

When another track may suit better

A different procedure may fit where complexity, the parties involved, the evidence, urgency or enforcement risk call for it.

Very large record

The case cannot be shortened without losing proper review.

Several parties or contracts

Joinder, consolidation or coordinated proceedings need more structure.

Threshold questions

Jurisdiction, admissibility, non-signatory or sovereign issues may need separate treatment.

Heavy expert work

Several disciplines, testing or complex valuation may need longer, step-by-step work.

Outside proceedings

Court cases, regulatory investigations, insolvency or criminal processes affect the dispute.

Unrealistic timetable

A short schedule that would predictably cause due-process problems is not proportionate.

How the first decisions shape the case

The tribunal turns the chosen track into a timetable and evidence plan for your dispute, rather than applying a standard calendar.

• First conference: the decisive issues, tribunal powers, timetable, hearing plan, document plan and approach to applications are set straight away.
• Submissions: limited rounds and page lengths, while each party can still state its case and answer the other.
• Document production: narrow categories tied to the issues, not broad discovery-style requests.
• Witnesses and experts: only evidence that genuinely helps the decision, with expert conferencing or joint memoranda where useful.
• Hearing: focused hearing days and remote participation where suitable, but remote hearings are never compulsory.
• Award timetable: an internal target under the Rules, subject to fairness, complexity and any institutional scrutiny.

A faster process, an equally valid award

Expedited arbitration produces a fully valid award through a tighter process, not a rushed one.

• Reasoned decision: the form and extent of reasons follow the Rules, the applicable law and the parties’ agreement.
• Procedural record: key decisions, notices, each party’s opportunity to be heard and evidence rulings are clearly recorded.
• After the award: correction, interpretation, additional awards and any institutional scrutiny follow the Rules.
• Enforcement readiness: any ERR review is separate from the merits. It helps you prepare, but recognition and recovery remain matters for the courts where you enforce.

Choose the right procedure

These guides explain the procedures under the Rules adopted in April 2026. The Rules themselves govern.

Simplified Procedure

A lighter process for disputes that can be resolved fairly with less complexity.

Standard Procedure

The full default procedure for cross-border arbitration.

Rules & Procedures

The Rules that govern every UNIONE™ arbitration.

• Expedited Procedure overview →