Pre‐construction project partnering: from adversarial to collaborative relationships

The use of subcontracting within the construction industry has become commonplace with many main contractors only undertaking the management and co‐ordination activities. The reliance on subcontractors has put much stress on the main contractor‐subcontractor relationship. As main contractors have realised that the greatest potential for cost savings lies with the subcontractors, the prevalence of unfair practices has increased. This paper describes a procurement approach, utilising limited competition, developed by a major UK main contractor in order to improve its relationships with subcontractors. The approach developed was based on research which identified: what the main contractor’s professional employees want from subcontractors; what subcontractors want from main contractors; and a study to compare the main contractor’s performance with that of its competitors. It was concluded that this approach offers a number of benefits for the client, the main contractor, partnering subcontractors and professional consultants, such as, lower costs, improved team approach and less confrontation.