Procurement Routes in Public Building and Construction Projects

TLDR

Procurement routes for public building and construction projects in Norway require improved selection methods, as the appropriate route depends on each project's characteristics. The study investigates whether public owners choose procurement routes in line with recommended practice and advocates for more innovative, better‑supported selection methods. The authors examined literature, software‑tool support material, and documentation from 22 Norwegian public building and construction projects. The study found that public owners persistently use habitual procurement routes and fail to match each project's needs to recommended practice.

Abstract

This paper deals with procurement routes in public building and construction projects in Norway. Seen from a practical point of view, as well as from a theoretical one, it is important to improve methods for selection of procurement procedure, contract model, and compensation formats. The paper objective is to find out if public owners select a procurement route according to recommended practice. The sources are literature, support material for two software tools for selection of the procurement route, and documentation from 22 public building and construction projects in Norway. According to the literature and the support material for the two software tools, the answer to what is the proper procurement route will depend on the characteristics of each project. The documentation study implies that public owners continue to select the same procurement route as they are in the habit of. They do not consider what procurement route suits each single project, and therefore they do not select the route according to recommended practice. The paper calls for innovation and better supported selection of the procurement route in public building and construction projects.