Overcoming barriers to partnering through cooperative procurement procedures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on research into investigating ways in which construction clients can overcome barriers to partnering through the adoption of purposeful procurement procedures within an overall project management context. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through interviews, document analysis, surveys and workshops as part of a longitudinal case study using an action-research approach. Findings Analysis reveals how the early involvement of partners, selected for their long-term perspective and willingness to use collaborative working arrangements, can help to overcome cultural and organizational barriers. Research limitations/implications The research results are based on empirical study for which reasonable generalisations could be made, albeit cautiously. Clients' implementation of partnering requires an appropriate use of a broad range of suitable procurement procedures that are quite different from more commonly used procedures. Hence, clients need to reassess their procurement procedures and tailor them to different project situations. Additionally, a long-term perspective is crucial in order to facilitate continual improvement over time. Originality/value The case study data support the analysis of how utilised procurement procedures affect project results.