Selecting a suitable procurement method for a building project

Building procurement has become a fashionable term with industry practitioners and researchers. It determines the overall framework and structure of responsibilities and authorities for participants within the building process. It is a key factor contributing to overall client satisfaction and project success. The selection of the most appropriate procurement method is consequently critical for both clients and project participants, and is becoming an important and contemporary issue with the building industry. The problem, nevertheless, lies in the fact that there has been limited empirical research in this field of study. Postal questionnaire surveys of 41 clients, 34 contractors and 35 consultants were carried out, and were used to obtain experiences and attitudes to a variety of procurement methods and the criteria used for selection. The findings indicate that a simple set of the criteria is generally adequate and sufficient for procurement path selection and that there is a reasonable consensus on their appropriate weighting for each path. Moreover, it is shown that similar clients generally do not have similar procurement needs but nevertheless only one procurement method, that of novation, best satisfies the needs of those involved in the study.