Bidding considerations in developing countries

Developing countries pose greater challenges to international construction contractors because of inherent risks such as government instability, shortages of adequately trained craftsmen, difficulty in acquiring needed materials, and lack of adequate infrastructure such as roads, bridges, harbors, and power generation facilities. The international construction market is continuously growing, and there are many opportunities for U.S. contractors to obtain additional work and improve profits. This paper describes characteristics of developing countries that should be of interest to any contractor considering projects in these parts of the world. Additionally, results from a study identify the top information requirements in 15 key areas, which architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms identified. A discussion of characteristics of the construction environment in Kenya is provided as an example of bidding considerations in a typical developing country.