Contractor tendering research: Going beyond bid/no-bid and markup models

Within a wider research programme into the effectiveness and efficiency of the tendering procedures of construction contractors (CCs), a content analysis of tender research published in 27 journals between 2010 and 2016 found that CC tendering procedure research remains a low-focus area. CC-related tender research commonly focuses on factors influencing ‘bid/no-bid’ and markup decisions, often combined with developed decision modelling. Comparing the content analysis results with semi-structured interviews with 20 Australian civil engineering CCs (including some of Australia’s largest contractors, and with eight involved in international operations), it was found that the industry remains largely unaware and unsupportive of such developed tender decision tools. Instead, CCs suggest tender research should focus on efficient tendering procedures, encouraging clients to use standard rather than bespoke contracts, and improved quality and risk transfer in tender documents. The combined semi-structured interview findings and content analysis results provide researchers with contemporary tender research themes that civil engineering CCs, and potentially more general contractors, are more likely to embrace, thereby advancing the efficiency of construction tendering and contractors’ work procurement management

The effects of motivational factors on construction professionals productivity in Jordan

In the current economic conditions, improving worker productivity in construction sites is becoming increasingly vital to ensure the success of projects. Multiple factors impact the productivity of workers; however, motivation is considered to be the most important factor. Past studies indicated that low productivity is one of the main challenges facing the construction industry in Jordan. This study is an attempt to explore and rank the motivational factors affecting workers productivity in the Jordanian construction sites. To achieve this objective, a mixed research strategy was adopted involving a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire was distributed to key players within the industry and included 16 motivational factors which were derived from past research on motivation. Using the importance index technique, the top 10 factors were identified which included: (1) personal growth/career improvement; (2) pay on time; (3) decision making ability; (4) decent and respectful job; (5) rewards; (6) pay amount; (7) high responsibility job; (8) challenging tasks; (9) work appreciation; and (10) team cooperation. Semi-structured interviews were used to validate the results from the questionnaire and to further understand the importance of worker motivation. The study concluded that if organizations paid attention to these motivational factors, then worker productivity, staff retention, organizational standards and the probability of successful project delivery should all be improved