Duties and required competencies of a management contractor

One of the responses to the critical failings of separation of design and construction processes of traditional procurement system is the development of management contracting (MC) procurement system. Several studies have indicated MC procurement system to be most suitable for large and complex projects, when on-time project delivery is required, and when flexibility during construction is desired. Owing to the involvement of the Management contractor at both design and construction stage of projects, the management contractors play more significant role in the benefits that MC system has shown to deliver. This study aims to investigate the duties performed by the management contractor and the required competencies for a management contractor, to provide knowledge and understanding on important considerations for the selection of a management contractor. Empirical data was collected using documentary analysis of three management contracts tender documents and a semi-structured interview with a key role player of two of the management contracts in South Africa. Findings revealed the duties performed by management contractors to be multitasking, covering both the pre-construction and construction stage of building projects. Also, owing to the increased responsibilities of management contractors, the competencies required to perform as a management contractor are distinguishable when compared to competencies needed of contractors to perform in other procurement systems. The knowledge and understanding of the duties and required competencies to perform as management contractors provided in this study will help construction clients and the construction industry in the selection process, performance management and evaluation of management contractors.