Co-ordination of building services and procurement methods for highly serviced buildings

This research explores the impact of both traditional and non-traditional procurement methods on the performance of the management of building services integration and coordination in Hong Kong and other countries. It examines those variables thought to be present in the building services co-ordination process (within the building process) which influence the performance of the building team and the outcome of the building project. Five propositions are addressed by the work which are: (1) coordination of services is influenced by the management of design; (2) coordination of building services is influenced by the management of construction; (3) coordination is not only a technical issue but an exercise in management. It is also influenced by the construction professional’s working practices; (4) coordination of services is influenced by the chosen project procurement method; (5) project success is influenced by effective building services co-ordination and the use of an appropriate procurement method. The problem of determining an appropriate procurement method for the management of a building services integration and co-ordination has been surrounded by controversy and strongly held opinions. The work reported here attempts to indicate some rational basis for choice in this decision by identifying those factors which significantly affect project performance, with particular reference to the distinctions between traditional and non-traditional procurement methods. Modelling of the management of the co-ordination process based on rich data gathered from surveys and pilot studies help the development of two research models for this research. Case studies are then analysed to explore the co-ordination process in a real life situation. The variables given in the models and the propositions are tested. Analysis of 25 case studies and the survey results suggest that co-ordination of building services can be affected by both technical and managerial issues as well as the organizational structure selected for a complex project. The results from this research support the argument that successful co-ordination can be as readily achieved by a traditional building team as by a fully integrated design and construction organization. The conclusion to be drawn is that procurement form is not a good predictor of performance. Moreover, procurement method is not the only variable affecting project performance, rather the combined effect of a number of variables is the major determinant In general, the level of managerial control is found to be more strongly associated with performance. Specifically, the factors of quality of design and co-ordination of services, integration of the building team, management of site co-ordination works and control of services contractors are found to affect more the performance of co-ordination of building services when the project is highly serviced.