A new approach to comparing the performance of contractors internationally

Contractor performance has long been recognised to vary. International benchmarking offers contractors the opportunity to learn from each other and benchmark their own performance with that of their counterparts in other countries. Comparing international performance has never been an easy task, but this is compounded in construction because of the uniqueness of the industry and its products. Methods previously employed to conduct such comparisons have been categorised into one of three approaches, namely pricing studies, macroeconomic studies and case studies. Each approach has its own advantages and limitations, mainly in terms of representativeness and comparability. This paper presents a new approach towards comparing international construction performance that combines the characteristics of pricing studies and case studies. The method is based on a hypothetical project, whereby data is collected via a semi-structured international questionnaire survey of construction managers. The novelty of the method is derived from the nature of data collected and in the degree of flexibility afforded to respondents. It is argued that by using this new approach, a robust international benchmark of contractor performance can be obtained.