Developing an effective approach to the procurement and management of small building works within large client organizations

This paper results from a major research project supported by governmental and industry based funding sources. The research project focused on the suitability, efficiency and effectiveness of procurement, organization and management of small works. Thirty major client organizations, drawn from both the public and private sectors, contributed information to the research project. The research data gathered from client organizations was supplemented with information provided by 50 contracting companies and consulting practices. Findings indicate that efficient and effective approaches to small works procurement and management focus on clearly understanding the core business of the organization, the total small works workload, and the requirements of the individual small works themselves. From this paper client organizations should become more aware of the problematic nature of small works and of the possibilities for their more effective procurement and management in the future.