Exploring the behavioral pattern of stakeholders in construction projects which used best-value selection

Best-value is a procurement method that combine price and non-price factors when selecting a contractor or design-builder. While, several researchers have evaluated the impact of best-value selection on project outcomes—such as cost, schedule, and quality—there are a limited number of studies that qualitatively evaluate the experience of different parties on projects that have been procured through best-value. To address this knowledge gap, this study aims to explore project stakeholders’ experience, team interactions, and behavioral patterns during best-value project execution. To achieve these objectives, three healthcare-construction case studies were selected and in-depth phone interviews were conducted with representatives of owners and contractors. The interviews were transcribed and a content analysis was implemented to explore the relationship between the procurement method and the team’s behavior in those projects. Three themes of team behavior emerged from the study, including innovation, partnering, and problem solving. The results of the interviews indicate that best-value selection encourages innovation, enhances partnering, and facilitates problem solving. The results also demonstrate that the time required to go through contractor selection and project scope development are major challenges of projects procured using best-value selection. To achieve successful completion of a project, one should: provide early project planning that includes clear definition of each party’s responsibilities; provide proper training; involve end users; and provide proper details in request-forproposals. This research makes a cross comparison between the findings of this study and the existing literature related to best-value. The results of the study provide new insights regarding the team-building process through best-value selection. Furthermore, this study provides a basis for future data collection and quantitative analysis to compare various procurement methods and provides a foundation for exploring team integration in construction projects.