Improved productivity in the construction sector - studies on procurement and contract management

Purpose and goal

The purpose of the project was to develop a concrete model to integrate socioeconomic aspects into procurement of roads. The goal is to give contractors incentives to find innovative traffic solutions taken into account socioeconomic values. The research has developed a new contract form, delay fees. Apart from this theoretical contribution, text proposals for the public clients to incorporate into the procurement documents has also been developed.

Expected results and effects

The project has resulted in a concrete suggestion of how a delay fee in road contracts can be designed. Proposals for concrete texts regarding the procurement documents have been developed. The suggested delay fees have the potential of resulting in innovative traffic solutions, an opportunity that is not available with existing contract designs. In addition to the interest of practitioners, the study also attracted interest from a purely scientific perspective with a paper for international publication.

Planned approach and implementation

This project have been developed in close collaboration with the project´s steering group. In addition to three steering group meetings and an internal research workshop, the project leader has also met several members of the steering group bilaterally. Thanks to the guidelines from the steering group, the project manager has visited a number of contractors and clients to ensure the relevance of the proposal. The study, which includes a traffic simulation of Stadsgårdsleden in Stockholm, has also been presented at an academic conference (ITEA) to ensure scientific quality.