Saad, A M; Dulaimi, M; Zulu, S L and Gorse, C (2025) Are the characteristics of public clients influencing their uptake of the modern methods of construction? A thematic analysis. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 14(1), pp. 190-209. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose: Construction research comprises quality contributions to the modern methods of construction (MMC) context in terms of their benefits and relative advantages. However, the uptake of MMC is yet deemed very low in the public sector. Knowing that public clients acquire the purchasing power and the influential status to drive industry change, understanding their low MMC uptake is necessary. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of literature has been chosen to extract the key variables contributing to the limited adoption of MMC across the public sector, reinforced by a qualitative semi-structured interview with 12 industry leaders and public clients. This methodology enables the authors to explore works from the past decade, paving a direction for an adequate empirical investigation by reviewing and critically analysing 49 academic articles and interviewing 12 industry leaders and public clients. Findings: The study captured and argued the characteristics that have an influence on public clients' decision, inhibiting the extraction of values associated with greater MMC deployment. A critical analysis resulted in identifying 13 characteristics under 4 main themes, providing a new argument to existing knowledge by calling on the need to better understand public clients and the influence of their own characteristics on their MMC uptake. Originality/value: This paper utilises the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory which offers constructs that help explain the influence of the characteristics of a decision-making unit. The authors' knowledge on public construction clients is limited, and more research in this direction may help in better aggregating construction demand. Overall, arguments provided in this paper enable relative improvements in supply's business models when approaching the public market. The study is believed to be in support of the relative governmental efforts to shape effective policies that can enhance innovation uptake among public bodies.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | diffusion of innovation; modern methods of construction; public clients |
| Index terms: | public sector, methodology, public client, investigation, decision-making, diffusion of innovation, thematic analysis, interview, business model, modern methods of construction, relative advantage, purchasing, paving, public construction, systematic literature review, construction demand |
| Subjects: | research methods, innovation studies, procurement strategy, building construction, transportation engineering, business, professional development, methods and analysis, decision analysis, data collection methods, administrative law, sociology, market analysis, research evaluation and metrics |
| Topics: | Construction Technology, Information Management, Risk Management, Legal Issues, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Procurement, Stakeholder Management, Engineering Principles |
| 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