How a dispute moves through Keystone Prime, from first contact to final award.
Resolving a dispute with Keystone Prime is a guided process, run by the institution from start to finish. In plain terms, this is what happens.
You begin a matter through this website, or your arbitration agreement refers the dispute to Keystone Prime. You do not file anything complex yourself; you simply tell the institution you have a matter.
A dedicated case manager reviews the dispute, confirms the procedure it will follow and the all-inclusive fee in writing, and opens the matter.
The case manager sets up the parties and their representatives on the Keystone Prime Case Platform, the secure system on which the matter is run, hosted in South Africa. Everyone receives a secure login.
The dispute proceeds on its procedure, within a fixed timeframe set by the rules, with the institution managing the timetable and holding each step to time.
The arbitrator delivers a reasoned award that is final and binding. Where the parties have elected an appeal, a limited internal appeal is available.
The five procedures below, which the rules call tracks, set the shape and timing of the matter. Each is suited to a different kind of dispute.
A standalone urgent determination by a sole arbitrator from the panel, for matters that cannot await the institution's ordinary procedure. The reference is constituted on an expedited footing and concluded as a self-contained matter.
An urgent procedure for interim and preservation relief in support of a pending or intended main arbitration, directed at preserving rights and the status quo until the substantive dispute is determined.
A streamlined institutional procedure for clearly defined commercial matters, with limited interlocutory steps and a focused evidentiary phase before a sole arbitrator.
The institution's full procedure for substantial or technically intricate commercial disputes, with the procedural latitude required for multiple parties, multiple issues, and expert evidence.
An internal appellate reconsideration of an award on the merits by a fresh tribunal drawn from the panel, available where the parties have elected to make their award appealable under the rules.
At Keystone Prime the timetable is part of the institution, not left to the parties to chase. Each track runs within a defined timeframe set by the rules: the urgent tracks in hours, Expedited within 120 days, Complex within 150 days, and Appeal within 90 days, extendable by up to 30 days only in exceptional circumstances.
These periods are set by the Keystone Prime rules and apply to every matter on the track.
Most institutions publish a timetable and leave it to drift. Keystone Prime holds each matter to its timeframe. Where a party misses a prescribed step, the default is brought to the parties and the defaulting party is given a short, defined period to remedy it, after which the arbitration proceeds. A party that knows of a non-compliance and does not raise it promptly is treated as having waived the objection. Representatives are held to standards of conduct, enforceable by the arbitrator.
The institution's enforcement of the timetable is carried on the Keystone Prime Case Platform, the secure system through which every matter is run.
The procedure adapts to the nature of the dispute. For certain types of commercial dispute, the institution applies a specialised rule treatment within the Expedited or Complex procedure, so that the process fits the subject matter and is overseen by an arbitrator with expertise in it.
Specialised treatments currently include:
These treatments apply within the Expedited and Complex procedures. The institution matches both the procedure and the arbitrator to the dispute at intake.
No. You may make contact yourself. Parties may be represented or may appear in person.
One all-inclusive fee, fixed and confirmed in writing before the arbitration begins. See Fees.
Yes. Arbitration at Keystone Prime is private and confidential.
Each track runs within a defined timeframe set by the rules: the urgent tracks in hours, Expedited within 120 days, Complex within 150 days, and Appeal within 90 days, extendable by up to 30 days only in exceptional circumstances. The timeframe applies to every matter on the track.
Yes. The award is final and binding, with a limited internal appeal available only where the parties have elected it.