A needs-based methodology for classifying construction clients and selecting contractors

Clients' needs are inadequately evaluated in project schemes. Without a precise establishment of clients' preferences, the essential criteria for project implementation and especially contractor evaluation cannot be appreciated fully. It is not surprising therefore that subjective decisions have prevailed in tender evaluations and clients' needs have not been satisfied completely. Objective contractor evaluation will be realized only when clients' needs and contractors' capabilities can be quantified and matched reliably. The methodology described herein rests on identifying clients' needs preferences as comprehensively as possible at project inception and progressing to identifying contractors who can satisfy them optimally; relying on 'multidimensional scaling' and 'cluster analysis' techniques. The investigations suggest that clients' project needs are not along the traditional classifications of private, public and developer clients; a reclassification of clients into five needs-based groups is proposed. A new contractor evaluation methodology matching client satisfaction to attainment of established needs in project schemes has been developed for bidding purposes.

[1]  P. J. A. Howard,et al.  An introduction to environmental pattern analysis , 1991 .

[2]  J. Kruskal.  Multidimensional scaling by optimizing goodness of fit to a nonmetric hypothesis , 1964 .

[3]  Roger Flanagan,et al.  Sealed bid auctions: an application to the building industry , 1985 .

[4]  Zohar J. Herbsman,et al.  MULTIPARAMETER BIDDING SYSTEM - INNOVATION IN CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION , 1992 .

[5]  Wojtek J. Krzanowski,et al.  Principles of multivariate analysis : a user's perspective. oxford , 1988 .

[6]  H. T. Clifford,et al.  An Introduction to Numerical Classification. , 1976 .

[7]  Jc Perry,et al.  EVALUATION OF BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS USING DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW TECHNIQUES. , 1981 .

[8]  Roger Flanagan,et al.  Risk Management and Construction , 1993 .

[9]  Gary David Holt,et al.  Evaluating performance potential in the selection of construction contractors , 1994 .

[10]  G. W. Milligan,et al.  An examination of procedures for determining the number of clusters in a data set , 1985 .

[11]  B. Atkin,et al.  Building futures A report on the future organisation of the building process , 1994 .

[12]  Miroslaw J. Skibniewski,et al.  DECISION CRITERIA IN CONTRACTOR PREQUALIFICATION , 1988 .

[13]  A. Shash.  Factors considered in tendering decisions by top UK contractors , 1993 .

[14]  Paul. Olomolaiye,et al.  Problems influencing craftsmen's productivity in Nigeria , 1987 .

[15]  P. Olomolaiye,et al.  An evaluation of clients' needs and responsibilities in the construction process , 1995 .