Lopes, J and Ribeiro, F L (2001) Working out a rational institutional framework for the development of the construction industry. In: Akintoye, A (ed.) Proceedings of 17th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2001, Salford, UK.
Abstract
It has long been recognized that contracting procedures and contracting practices have had a major effect on the efficiency and performance of construction projects (World Bank, 1984). In order to face the demands of the Economic and Monetary Union, coupled with the globalization of the construction market, unprecedented institutional reforms pertaining to the construction industry and related sectors in Portugal have been implemented. However, a recent study (E & T, 2000) has emphasized the lack of an adequate information flow among the different parties of the construction process. This paper is part of a wider research project that attempts to investigate the impact of contractual arrangements, and of the role of the client's representative on the performance of construction projects in Portugal. The methodology comprises a questionnaire supported by a literature review, and in-depth interviews with client's representatives, consultants and top managers of construction enterprises. The first part of the research, which is presented here, reviews the Portuguese legal regime on the construction industry activity concerning both the construction and design stages, and the property market. Additionally, the insights gained from a pilot study are also presented. Preliminary findings are that the functions of the client's representative are not clarified in the Portuguese legal regime, and its role is not well perceived by both clients and other contributors to the construction process.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | client's representative; contracting procedure; economic and monetary union; Portuguese legal regime |
| Index terms: | top manager, efficiency, interview, Portugal, World Bank, information flow, face, literature review, property market, globalization, design stage, questionnaire, construction process, methodology, construction project, construction market, construction industry |
| Subjects: | data analysis and analytics, professional practice, institutional frameworks, psychology, real estate economics, practitioner, data collection methods, industry analysis, economic factors, information systems, market analysis, building construction, Geography, production management, performance management, research methods |
| Topics: | Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Governance, Urban Studies, Digital Applications, Design Practice, International Construction, Quality Management, Site Management, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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