Brandli, L L; Jüngles, A E and Heineck, L F (1999) Sub-contracting policies: The case of the construction firms in brazil. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 15th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15-17 September 1999, Liverpool, UK.
Abstract
Construction projects in Brazil are more and more undertaken by sub-contractors under the direction of a major contractor, in common with to what is happening in different parts of the world (Cardoso 1996). Construction projects are executed by general contractors who retain the services of special trade sub-contractors (Eccles, 1981). This paper documents the results of an exploratory study about the level of integration found in a sample of 60 building companies of Florianópolis, a city of some 300,000 inhabitants in the south of Brazil. An analysis was conducted on the contractual relationships between general contractors and sub-contractors of 20 companies. The paper initially investigates the issues general contractors have to face when they decide to integrate their business with those of the sub-contractors. In order to do so corporate and operational strategies concepts are brought into light. It then investigates the process of organization and management of sub-contractors in these companies focusing on the contractor’s and sub-contractor’s perceptions. An analytical framework describes the contractor and sub-contractor relationships including the selection criterion, partnering development, conflict resolution, process control and legal contracts. The data was collected through structured questionnaires. Differences found between the two groups, general contractors and sub-contractors are discussed.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction firms; partnering; sub-contracting; vertical integration |
| Index terms: | contractual relationship, integration, construction project, process control, documents, vertical integration, sub-contractor, questionnaire, analytical framework, partnering, general contractor, Brazil, face, conflict resolution, strategy, exploratory study, construction firm, sub-contracting |
| Subjects: | psychology, data analysis and analytics, organization, contractual relationship, data collection methods, control systems, practitioner, vertical integration, partnership management, organizational analysis, conflict resolution, research methods, management, professional development, production management, Geography |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Supply Chain Management, Organizational Design, Contract Administration |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here