Re-engineering the construction procurement process

This thesis describes the research carried out to create a new contract procurement strategy called Project Delivery Process (PDP). Project Delivery Process is a new way of selecting and then managing parties to the project that creates an integrated collaborative way of working based on a systems approach. This systems approach uses both hard and soft systems ideas. Research focusing on hard systems only - including IT - is described. Research focusing on soft systems ideas, including culture, trust and team working is reported. Research and case studies are described showing that projects managed using both hard and soft systems approaches produce more successful outcomes than those managed by the use of either hard or soft systems only. It is also shown that a collaborative working relationship produces significant benefits for the project. The proposed new contract procurement strategy called Project Delivery Process, PDP, is described. Case studies of its successful implementation are included.