Drivers of decisions behind outsourcing of quantity surveying services in construction projects

Outsourcing has become fashionable for solving business problems. Although outsourcing is rapidly gaining popularity in the world, it is still not being widely practiced in the construction industry despite the huge contribution the industry makes to the gross domestic product. There have been no previous studies on outsourcing in the field of quantity surveying (QS). Hence, the aim of this study was to fill the literature gap. The required data were collected using a literature review, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey. The collected data were analysed using manual content analysis and analytical hierarchy process. 'Providing advice on ADR methods' has the highest potential for outsourcing whilst 'preparation of accounts' has the lowest potential. Among the drivers of outsourcing decisions on QS services, 'management and technical drivers' is of highest significance while 'political/environmental drivers' is of least significance.