Prequalification and multi-criteria selection: a measure of contractors' opinions

The procurement of a construction contractor normally involves some form of prequalification. The better prequalification regimes adopt a structured multi-criteria approach (i.e. contractor evaluation based on a multiple of factors over and above cost). This research solicits contractors' viewpoints on prequalification, in contrast to earlier works which have tended to present clients' perspectives. Contractors are dissatisfied with the frequency and adequacy of current prequalification regimes. An investigation of the mutual benefits of multi-criteria selection leads to the suggestion that such benefits could be better capitalized upon. Contractors' perceived levels of importance (with respect to selection criteria considered by clients during the selection process) are evaluated and show that, in line with earlier findings, ‘cost’ is still the predominant selection factor, followed by ‘contractor experience’ and 'company reputation'. A comparison between contractors' rankings of the selection criteria with similar rankings derived from an earlier survey of clients, finds significant correlation, indicating that contractors agree with clients' importance levels of multi-criteria selection factors.