Mason, J R (2007) The views and experiences of specialist contractors on partnering in the UK. Construction Management and Economics, 25(5), pp. 519-527. ISSN 1466433X
Abstract
The views and experiences of specialist contractors on partnering have to date received insufficient attention in the UK where the focus has been centred on the client-main contractor relationship. An investigation into the position of specialists brings a new perspective on the national and international debate about how further steps towards partnering the supply chain can be achieved and whether they are desirable. Some of the findings are positive such as the high level of understanding of partnering concepts among specialists. There are examples of successful collaborations and evidence of informal partnering being continued downstream of the specialist contractors, often irrespective of whether upstream partnering is occurring or not. Practical issues about involvement and some cynicism about the aims of partnering are also detectable. The discussion recommends that greater emphasis should be placed on the role of the client and the competitive advantage available to all through the proper use of partnering. Despite positive developments little has changed in the 10 years since partnering was introduced to improve the lot of the specialist contractor in terms of the levels of disputes and the incidence of long-term collaboration.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaboration; partnering; procurement; specialist contractors; subcontractors |
| Index terms: | partnering, dispute, collaboration, positive development, specialist contractor, subcontractor, competitive advantage, investigation, main contractor, evidence |
| Subjects: | evaluation and assessment methods, urban design, management, practitioner, dispute resolution, data collection methods, partnership management, market analysis |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Urban Studies, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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