Antai, I; Lenka, S and Achtenhagen, L (2025) Digital platforms and the construction supply chain: Trends and emerging themes in extant AEC research. Construction Management and Economics, 43(2), pp. 113-129. ISSN 0144-6193
Abstract
A substantial body of research has emerged on the conditions that impact how and when industry stakeholders adopt digital platforms. However, in the construction industry in general—and the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in particular—to date, this research remains fragmented, which hampers our understanding of how digital platforms can enhance productivity and value creation. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the benefits and challenges of adopting digital platforms and integrating them into the AEC industry. We conduct a systematic literature review on digital platform integration to identify themes that are relevant to the AEC industry. Based on our findings, we develop an integrative model that captures the phases of digital platform adoption and integration and outlines where different industry stakeholders tend to face challenges in this process, and we pinpoint where benefits can be derived. We employ this model to derive a research agenda that will fill the identified knowledge gaps currently existing in our understanding of construction industry stakeholders' integration within the digital platform space.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | AEC; construction industry; construction supply chain; digital platforms; integration; literature review; platform governance; prisma |
| Index terms: | governance, literature review, platform, systematic literature review, construction industry, research agenda, face, productivity, integration, value creation, construction supply chain |
| Subjects: | psychology, organizational analysis, industry analysis, research evaluation and metrics, digital design, management, research management, construction logistics, data analysis and analytics, economic development, business |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Digital Applications, Governance, Supply Chain Management, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| 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