Collaborative relationships in construction: the UK contractors' perception

TLDR

The paper addresses collaborative relationships in UK construction, a topic of interest to industry practitioners. The study aims to describe UK contractors’ perceptions of collaborative relationships in construction. A UK‑wide postal questionnaire survey of contractors, divided by firm size, was analyzed using ANOVA and factor analysis to examine reasons for and success/failure of collaborative relationships. UK contractors view collaboration positively, citing risk sharing, innovation access, market response, resource efficiency, and client requirements; success hinges on resource commitment, equity, non‑financial benefits, and clear objectives, while failure stems from lack of trust, consolation, experience, and business fit.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe UK contractors' perceptions of collaborative relationships in construction. Design/methodology/approach Based on a UK wide postal questionnaire survey, the opinions of contractors were assessed on reasons for collaborative relationships and the factors that are responsible for the success and failure of collaborative relationships in construction development. The respondents were split into two groups (SME's and large) based on their number of employees, to determine whether their responses varied with size as part of the analysis. Statistical analyses, based on Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and factor analysis technique were used to investigate the cluster of relationships. Findings The research shows that UK contractors are positive about collaboration and are engaged in collaborative relationships for construction developments. Factor analysis shows that the principal reasons why contractors are involved in collaborative relationships are for risk sharing, access to innovation and technology, response to market, resource efficiency and client requirements. The principal success factors are commitment of adequate resources from the partners, equity of relationship, recognition of the importance of non‐financial benefits and clarity of objectives while the principal failure factors are lack of trust and consolation and lack of experience and business fit. Practical implications Drawing from the findings, the study confirms that construction collaborative relationships are customer driven with very little consideration for competitors, suppliers and subcontractors although a a true collaborative relationship should take into account all the parties involved in construction development supply and demand chains to reap the full benefits. Originality/value The paper makes an original contribution of exploring the area of relationships in construction in the UK from the contractors point‐of‐view. The contents within the paper will be of interest to those working within the field.