Abstract
The first project using Early Contractor Involvement (ECI), introduced by Highways Agency in 2001 has just commenced in Northern Ireland. The Nichols Report (2007) on the first five UK ECI schemes identified benefits and problems with ECI but admitted limited piloting and research. This research investigates these indicating that the timeline for delivery was the most important reason for choosing ECI. Ranking of benefits identify the top three to be Improved Design Quality, Better Risk Management and Greater Trust and Understanding between Client and Contractor. Cost savings and delivery of projects within budget through using this route are also confirmed. The building of greater trust and understanding between client and contractor is evidenced in 100% of cases and is an important by-product of choosing ECI. On the negative side the main barriers to ECI adoption are cultural, client sharing and lack of embracing ECI by clients are identified as the top two issues. The concluding section of the paper ranked ECI in relation to AEC critical factors identified from the OGC procurement guide documents (OGC, 2007a-k). Integrated project team, risk and value management and integrated design were the top ranked critical factors by the respondents, with Roles and Responsibilities and focus on whole life costs being the lowest in line with the findings of the Nichols (2007). This research indicates that the negative issues relating to ECI stated by Owen (2009) are not shared by practitioners with initial opinions and statistics on the use of ECI being very positive.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Unknown Host Publication |
| Place of Publication | Sao Paulo Brazil |
| Publisher | University of Sao Paulo |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 17 Aug 2012 |
| Event | 7th International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) - Sao Paulo, Brazil Duration: 17 Aug 2012 → … |
Conference
| Conference | 7th International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) |
|---|---|
| Period | 17/08/12 → … |
Bibliographical note
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Keywords
- Government Procurement
- Early Contractor Involvement