Disputes simply cannot be prevented all the time in the construction industry. As such, common dispute resolution systems such as negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation are widely used. Compared to litigation, negotiation and mediation have high popularity owing to their low cost and faster duration to dispensation. However, proper selection of dispute resolution techniques becomes very critical in real business practice. In this article, a numerical method using pairwise comparisons and the analytic hierarchy process are used to discover the most appropriate method evaluated against specific selection factors. Eight major selection factors are used, and an importance scale is assigned to weigh each factor, followed by a pairwise comparison. The rationale for selection of factors is explained. Final scores of the effectiveness of each dispute resolution technique are calculated for six cases that are meaningful in the construction industry, thereby providing a practical guideline and system to disputants for selecting a suitable dispute resolution method for their specific case.