Construction contracting and civil-military interaction

There is a need for improved insights into the contracting process for construction projects that the military contract out to civil contractors in the specific setting of civil-military interaction (CMI) in regions that are suffering from instability and armed conflict. The core questions are: what are the key criteria for contracting out CMI projects in out-of-area operations, and what contracting methods are appropriate? First, we discuss possible methods and key criteria for contracting out CMI projects. Following this, a case study based in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan explores key criteria for contracting out CMI projects. Based on this case study, the following five CMI-related criteria have been identified: generating information on the civilian environment; contributing to building local capacity; process transparency; force acceptance and local participation; and contracting as a tool for stability. These criteria dominate more regular criteria such as cost and time. Some methods frequently used in developed economies, for example the open public tender procedure, seem less appropriate when contracting out CMI projects within a military mission. In CMI projects, contracting most closely resembles the multiple negotiated tender procedure. Future projects can use the identified range of methods and key criteria in designing an improved contracting process.