Different Approaches of Clients and Consultants to Contractors’ Qualification and Selection

Abstract

Nowadays, clients are the dominant groups in almost all types of industries. However, the construction industry is unique and consultants, as representatives of clients, are very important figures in this industry as well. By presenting survey findings of 91 clients and 50 consultants, this study reveals clients’ and consultants’ differing expectations of contracting organisations during contractor qualification and selection. The study has clearly confirmed the fact that consultants’ perspectives are rather different and their contractors’ expectations of their clients vary very significantly from the clients themselves. Furthermore, significantly different results were found even among different types of consultants and different categories of clients. Moreover, this study showed that both clients and consultants had high willingness to continue working with the same contractor in possible future works assuming they are satisfied with the previous works. The criteria, which contribute to achieving full client and/or consultant satisfaction and hence lead to possible repetitive works are identified and the results showed the existence of significant difference between clients and consultants perspectives regarding this issue as well. The framework presented within this paper aims to help the contracting organisations to compare and recognise the different approaches and perceptions of both clients and consultants during contractor qualification and selection processes. The contracting organisations in the related sectors will be able to use the framework provided within this study to recognise the overall demand in a more complete and better manner and hence formulate or modify strategies accordingly.

Building Construction Clients’ Design Consultant and Contractor Selection Criteria Versus Post-Occupancy Satisfaction Levels

“…Wang et al (2013) discuss the best value method for contractor selection and applies Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to weigh the decision criteria for selecting the best value contractors. Egemen and Mohamed (2006) discussed the clients' needs from contractors while Egemen and Mohamed (2005) focused on different approaches of clients and consultants in the contractor selection process. The study concluded that the expectations of clients and consultants from contractors varied significantly.…”

Extrinsic factors influencing the bid/no-bid decision of construction contracting firms: Impact of firm size and experience

“…Choosing not to bid on a prospective project results in losing an opportunity to make a substantial profit, whereas entering into bid may improve the strength of a contractor in the industry and gain positive relationships with the client (Jarkas et al, 2014). Bidding for unsubstantial projects can result in huge losses that include the consumption of resources as well as time that might have been invested in more profitable projects, ultimately resulting in financial failure of the firm (Egemen & Mohamed, 2005). Surveys by previous scholars have identified some of the important factors in the bid/no-bid decision making (Li et al, 2020;Shokri-Ghasabeh & Chileshe, 2016) but little consensus is found on optimal or specific approach regarding the decision to bid.…”