When Fluor Intercontinental, a unit of the big engineering and construction services company, won a $74.4-million contract in early 2005 to build a new U.S. embassy compound in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, it ran into trouble with soil conditions that differed from what the firm believed would be present. Fluor had sought a full 51% of the original contract value—$38 million—for extra costs that included additional security. In 2013, the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals seemed to recognize Fluor's point about extra costs, but in contract disputes, winning on principle can still leave a company with empty pockets: The board awarded Fluor only $1.2 million.