Application of Delphi method in selection of procurement systems for construction projects

TLDR

Many procurement selection systems have emerged, and multi‑attribute decision analysis is regarded as the most objective way to evaluate client needs and expert preferences, yet experts often disagree on the utility weights of selection criteria. This study adopted a Delphi technique to construct a multi‑attribute model that addresses these consensus issues. The Delphi process involved four rounds of surveys administered to eight experts. The results showed a statistically significant consensus on the utility weights for each procurement system, demonstrating that Delphi is an effective method for eliciting objective opinions in this subjective domain.

Abstract

A number of procurement selection systems have been developed over the last decade. The use of multi-attribute decision analysis has been considered the foremost technique for examining client needs and the weightings of preferences from experts for each procurement system in the most objective way available. However, the major difficulty of these selection models lies in the lack of consensus among the experts on the utility factor of the selection criteria. To overcome these deficiencies, a Delphi technique was adopted to develop a multi-attribute model. Four rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted. A statistically significant consensus on the weighting of the utility factors for each procurement system was obtained from eight experts. The results vividly reveal that the Delphi method is a powerful and appropriate technique for deriving objective opinions in a rather subjective area such as the multi-attribute model for the selection of procurement system.