Achieving better infrastructure procurement and project outcomes

Abstract

The focus of my research has been on analysing tendering, procurement, and contracting processes in the construction industry to determine how they may be improved for better project outcomes and value for money. • Tendering: o Ethnographic studies of contractors’ tender processes, which was the first ever live observational study of the entire bidding process of contractors, to analyse the whole process, and ascertain how risk influences pricing levels. This was the research for my PhD. o Impact of tendering procedure on price formation in construction contracts. • Procurement: o Impact of innovative and collaborative procurement and contracting strategies, o Electronic procurement, o Procurement strategy and outcomes, o Using procurement to achieve socio-economic development objectives, o Procurement of professional services with a specific focus on the relationship between fees and quality. • Construction contracts: o Risk apportionment and commercial review of construction contracts. The research has been highly relevant in academia and industry (e.g. ICE/NEC). I have drawn on it in my teaching over the years, and now I have also drawn on it to develop new academic programmes like the PG Diploma in CM which we started offering in 2022.