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The purpose of this paper is to study the principal factors that are critical to the success of a construction project in Malaysia, and determine their relative importance as perceived by different respondents. The findings of this study will provide the researcher with up‐to‐date information in formulating appropriate strategies to address the challenges brought about by human‐related issues. The paper will only discuss the first part of the ongoing research based on the pilot survey.

Following a thorough literature search, a total of 37 factors were consolidated and grouped into seven major categories. These factors were assembled into a questionnaire survey and distributed to clients, consultants and contractors. The respondents represent a wide range of professions, including those who are involved in design, construction, engineering, project management and quantity surveying. An analysis of the responses identified 15 factors to be accepted as critical to the success of construction projects.

The results suggest a strong consistency in perception between respondents in recognising the significance of human‐related factors such as competence, commitment, communication and cooperation towards the success of a construction project. These factors being the core element in relationship‐based procurement reinforced the need and viability of such procurement methods to the Malaysian construction industry.

The findings can be used to facilitate the analysis of performance of various procurement systems, as well as identifying critical elements crucial to the development of a relationship‐based procurement in Malaysia.

This paper captures the perception of construction participants regarding the critical success factors of construction projects in Malaysia and fulfils an identified need to study the critical elements vital to the development of a new procurement approach in Malaysia.