Procurement strategy and outcomes of a new universities project in South Africa
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Publication date: 21 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Construction project management outcomes in the literature typically portray significant deviations from expected outcomes. Various theories from studies that focus superficially on causes of project cost and time overruns rather than root causes have not addressed this problem. The need is for a better understanding of how procurement strategy provides a fundamental means to address this problem. The purpose of this paper is to examine the procurement strategy used to deliver a new universities project in South Africa within budget and to ascertain its influence on the outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study was designed to provide a comprehensive and intensive methodology to identify and examine the construction procurement strategy and its influence on the project outcomes. Document analyses and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data on the construction procurement strategy and outcomes from the client team.
Findings
The evidence brought forward demonstrates that the successful outcome was largely a consequence of the client team, procurement strategy and systems of delivery. However, the collaborative procurement strategy formed the basis of the successful project delivery and outcomes. A general observation from the data is that an appropriate construction procurement strategy developed by an experienced client team and proactively implemented by an integrated delivery team working collaboratively is likely to achieve the intended project outcomes.
Practical implications
The findings show three critical keys to achieving intended outcomes – people, procurement strategy and systems of delivery at the governance, portfolio, programme and project management levels.
Originality/value
The value of this paper lies in using a comprehensive methodology to study the relationship between procurement strategy and outcomes. The findings can be applied by client teams to achieve better outcomes and value for money in infrastructure projects.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Gratitude is due to the Wits University Campus Planning and Development Office and the New Universities Project Management Team for the significant asistance which made this study possible. The author also wishes to thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly helped to improve this paper. This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF). The grant holder acknowledges that the opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in any publication generated by NRF-supported research are that of the authors and that the NRF accepts no liability whatsoever in this regard.
Citation
Laryea, S. (2019), "Procurement strategy and outcomes of a new universities project in South Africa", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 26 No. 9, pp. 2060-2083. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2018-0154
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