A comparison of contractor performance in Japan, the UK and the USA: Some preliminary findings from a new approach

International comparisons of contractor performance can provide effective performance benchmarks for those companies looking to succeed in the global market place. Methods previously employed for this purpose have been categorized into pricing studies, macroeconomic studies and case studies. Each of these methods has limitations in terms of two important aspects, that is their comparability and/or their representativeness of a particular country. With the aim being to address those limitations a new approach has been developed utilizing characteristics of both pricing studies and case studies. Data collection was conducted through a semi-structured project-based questionnaire survey conducted simultaneously in Japan, the UK and the US. Results suggest this new approach to be reliable and appropriate for the international comparison of contractor performance. Preliminary statistical analysis of the response suggests there are some important differences in practice and performance among contractors in Japan, the UK and the US.