Previous research suggests that the construction industry is characterized by (1) particular complexity factors owing to industry specific uncertainties and interdependences, and (2) inefficiency of operations. The aim of this study was to analyse the operations and behaviour of firms as a means of dealing with complexity. The observations made indicate that the industry as a whole is featured as a loosely coupled system. Taking this as a starting point, the couplings among activities, resources and actors were analysed in different dimensions. The pattern of couplings builds on two interdependent layers: tight couplings in individual projects and loose couplings based on collective adaptations in the permanent network. It is concluded that the pattern of couplings seems to favour short term productivity while hampering innovation and learning.

The Construction Industry as a Loosely Coupled System - Implications for productivity and innovativity

http://impgroup.org/uploads/papers/169.pdf

The construction industry as a loosely coupled system - implications for productivity and and innovativity

Review of studies on the Critical Success Factors for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) projects from 1990 to 2013

An ISM approach for the barrier analysis in implementing green supply chain management

Markets and motor cars the automotive industries today shared technical change development of new automobiles customer-supplier relationships lean supply strategies for going lean what next?

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2Fjors.1994.30.pdf

Beyond Partnership: Strategies for Innovation and Lean Supply

A survey of supply chain collaboration and management in the UK construction industry

An analysis of success factors and benefits of partnering in construction

The results are documented of an investigation into current cost estimating practices of contractors for construction projects. A questionnaire survey of contractors was undertaken, in which the respondents are classified into four groups based on their turnover namely: very small, small, medium and large firms. The survey indicates that contractors, irrespective of size, continue to undertake cost estimating predominantly for construction planning purposes, including the preparation of tenders and cost control of projects during the execution stage and, to a lesser extent, for construction project evaluation. Recent developments in cost estimating methods and tools that consider risks and variability in cost estimates, such as the use of range estimating and parametric estimating techniques, have not been adopted by contractors. The practice of cost estimating does not differ from conventional techniques based on the use of labour and material constants to obtain prices for bills of quantities items on a...

A survey of current cost estimating practices in the UK

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is a recent development in the UK in which private sector organisations, design, build, finance and operate assets to deliver a service to public sector clients. The initiative is expected to bring the private sector's finance, management skills and expertise into projects which would normally be undertaken by the public sector. Equivalents of this initiative, also found outside the UK, include DBFO (Design Build Finance Operate), BOO (Build Own Operate) and turnkey projects. Two important considerations for a project to receive an approval for the initiative are that it must represent value for money and there must be sufficient transfer of risk to the private sector. This paper, based on a questionnaire survey, provided the perceptions of clients, contractors and financial institutions on risk associated with PFI and how these determine their approach to PFI schemes. The analysis shows that design changes and the level of information on functional, performance and output requirements for PFI schemes are of major concern to the parties involved in this procurement route.

Risk analysis and management of Private Finance Initiative projects

Design and build has increased in its use for construction procurement in recent times. However, its performance as a procurement method has been widely criticized by professionals in the construction industry. This paper reports a survey of 40 architects, using a structured questionnaire to investigate the performance of contractor‐led design and build in project procurement. Although 20% of architects' private sector workload (and 8% of public sector) is derived from D&B, they perceive this procurement type to involve sacrificing product quality and design innovation. Where clients insist on a choice of D&B, architects generally prefer the use of either novation D&B or develop and construct, rather than ‘traditional’ D&B.

Eamon Fitzgerald

Papers

A survey of supply chain collaboration and management in the UK construction industry

An analysis of success factors and benefits of partnering in construction

A survey of current cost estimating practices in the UK

Risk analysis and management of Private Finance Initiative projects

Design and build: a survey of architects' views