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Partnering has generated considerable excitement in the construction industry. However, this enthusiasm is largely based on anecdotal evidence. The results of a study of 280 construction projects in which the relationship between project success and alternative approaches (including partnering) to managing the owner-contractor relationship are reported in this paper. The findings indicate that partnered projects achieved superior results in controlling costs, the technical performance, and in satisfying customers compared with those projects managed in an adversarial, guarded adversarial, and even informal partnering manner. Further, whether the contract was awarded on a low-bid or non-low-bid basis did not affect the relationship between partnering and project success. Conclusions and findings pertaining to alternative management approaches are briefly addressed here.
Erik Larson (Wed,) studied this question.