Construction project procurement: a critical review

In the context of the built environment, procurement may be described as the method by which a construction project proceeds from inception to completion. It refers specifically to the contractual framework that enables a client to engage a range of participants in order to have a built facility designed, constructed and handed over ready for occupation. In this chapter the author offers a critical review of a number of generic procurement methods or delivery systems that are in common use. They range from the traditional ‘design-bid-build’ approach through to the complex joint venture arrangements that are typical of very large projects that involve multiple, and often multinational, design, construction and project management firms, financed by complex funding arrangements that involve numerous sources of finance.