Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Authority definition

What does Authority mean? In practice, Authority refers to the public sector client that procures and manages a project or service and is the named counterparty in the contract. In public procurement, PFI/PPP, DBFM/DBFOM and outsourcing documents, it is a contractual shorthand for the “contracting authority” defined in legislation (England & Wales and Northern Ireland: Public Contracts Regulations 2015; Scotland: Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015; Ireland: European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016). Typical Authorities include a local authority, an NHS trust or health board, a central government department or minister, a non‑departmental public body or agency, or another body...

PCA in international arbitration: appointing/designating authority under UNCITRAL, registry services for ad hoc and treaty arbitrations (ECT/UNCLOS), arbitrator challenges and fees, costs and Financial Assistance Fund

Published by a LexisNexis Arbitration expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note explores the role of the Permanent Court of arbitration (PCA) as an appointing authority and, by default, as a designating authority in international arbitration, as well as its other administrative functions, including registry support, in cases not conducted under the institution’s own arbitration rules. For guidance on arbitration proceedings pursuant to the PCA Arbitration Rules, see: PCA arbitration-overview.

History of the PCA and its institutions

Before examining the PCA’s present, practical contribution to resolving international disputes, it is useful to consider aspects of its background.

The PCA originated in the late 1880s, a turbulent period marked by mounting international frictions and advances in weaponry, when recourse to armed force was widely regarded as the principal method for states to pursue objectives and settle disputes (S Rosenne, The Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907 and International Arbitration-Reports and Documents (TMC Asser Press, 2001) (Rosenne), xv; G Best, Peace Conferences and the Century of Total War: the 1899 Hague Conference and What Came After (1999) 75(3) Int’l Affairs 619 (Best), 619–620). Aiming to ease the financial strain that militarisation imposed on Russia, Tsar Nicholas II called...

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Jonathan Lim

WilmerHale

Jonathan Lim is a Senior Associate with WilmerHale in London. He has represented governments and private corporations in commercial and investment arbitrations under all major arbitration rules sited across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. He has also advised governments in Africa and Asia on a range of public international law issues and the drafting of arbitration legislation. In addition to his practice as counsel, Jonathan has a developing practice as an arbitrator, with appointments as sole and party-appointed arbitrator in proceedings seated in Europe and Asia. Jonathan also co-teaches a course on international arbitration at the National University of Singapore each January. He is listed in Who's Who Legal 2018 as a Future Leader in International Arbitration, and has been described by clients and peers as "a very smart all-round lawyer with a strong work ethic" and “a sure bet as a future...

Web page updated on 29/05/2026

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