A case study of joint procurement and provision of legal services to a group of a universities in the midlands

A Group of 5 UK Universities in the Midlands undertook a joint procurement process for the provision of Legal Services. The objective was to put in place common Framework Agreements. The Legal Services procured were divided into six lots and one of these was 'Property and Construction'. The lots were assembled into three packages and the contract for each package was awarded to one or more Service Providers. Albeit a service provider is to work for all the collaborating Universities. A competitive 'restricted' two-stage tender process was administered in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, SI 2006/5. The Framework Agreements were awarded in 2012 to the most economically advantageous Solicitors' Practices. The participating Universities are being interviewed about the reasons for the joint procurement exercise, any challenges faced in its implementation and lessons learnt so far. Two interviews have been conducted so far and evaluated via content analysis to reveal that advantages to be gained from 'economy of scale' were the main impetus for the collaborative procurement. The negotiations between the Universities which led to the establishment of the collaboration and its subsequent sustenance have been friendly. The challenge identified so far concerns how to distribute work more fairly to legal services providers

An evaluation of construction clients' needs and preferences

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyThe research investigated factors influencing construction clients' needs with the aim of identifying predictors which could be used for assessing or verifying requirements on future projects. The literature review confirmed that a significant number of clients were not fully satisfied with their project outcomes. It was therefore hypothesised that clients' dissatisfaction could be traced to their needs not being understood and well defined during briefing. In a structured survey, 593 clients were asked to define and prioritise their project needs; the analysis in this thesis is based on 133 respondents (22%) to this main survey. Clients' transitivity in making preference-choices was first analysed using the psychometric technique of 'paired-comparisons'. 50 clients (41%) were perfectly transitive while the remaining 73 (59%) were intransitive to one degree or the other. To enhance the subsequent scaling of clients' values and development of hypotheses towards new lines of inquiry, the preferences expressed were used to classify the clients into needs-based homogenous groups using 'cluster analysis'. Four distinct groups of clients were identified, and two of these were chosen for further analysis. The pairedcomparisons methodology was again used to measure these clients' values, and, the evaluated desires were statistically contrasted. Although the two groups had similar requirements, their prioritisation of needs differed significantly. Out of the six factors identified as influencing clients' desires, four were found to predominate in the two groups studied, namely: Social; Personal; Legal; and ProjectInduced considerations. Linking clients' needs with these predominant factors will provide an empirical basis for evaluating their requirements during briefing. Project delivery and client satisfaction will be optimised if the impact of these factors on client's needs is identified at project inception

Understanding the Construction Client

This book is based on research supported by the Construction Clients' Group (Constructing Excellence), the current leading construction client forum in the UK, who have formally launched it.This book breaks new ground by creating a framework to understand clients' actions and needs. Most construction management books focus on improving the construction process; this one focuses on a better engagement with the client. It challenges conceptions of both the construction industry and clients' businesses so that a more effective process and greater client satisfaction can be achieved. The book suggests that 'buildings are not about building but about changing and developing the client'. The technical, organisational and psychological aspects of this are described and analysed in detail so that current experience can be explained and better practice determined. The book offers well-researched information about clients in a number of sectors - developers, supermarkets, NHS, government, airports and housing associations - which will help you understand what these client's business or service needs are and how construction fits into this. It demonstrates how to develop an appreciation of the client's perspective with a toolkit for ensuring successful client engagement. This makes Understanding the Construction Client a user-friendly and practical guide, as well as significant text for academia. (Blackwell Publishing

Private Finance Initiative in the Healthcare Sector: Trends and Risk Assessment

Abstract: Purpose ��� The UK Government has now adopted Private Finance Initiative (PFI) as a major vehicle for the delivery of additional resources to the health sector in order to achieve a greater investment in healthcare facilities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the trends and risk assessment of the PFI in the healthcare sector. Design/methodology/approach ��� The paper employed secondary data and interviews of key participants in two hospital PFI projects to highlight developments in healthcare PFI and the risk management of hospital projects. Findings ��� The results show that the use of PFI in the provision of healthcare is increasing in terms of number, capital value and size of projects. What emerged in the healthcare PFI project was a usage of a plethora of risk management techniques, albeit to varying degrees. Experience appeared to be the prime risk assessment technique employed, while risk avoidance was first explored before pricing and allocating any residual risks. ���Risk prompts���, such as using checklists and risk registers were also useful in the identification of risks. Among all participants, insurance cover and sub-contracting appear to be the most prominent strategies employed for managing out the risks. Originality/value ��� The negotiations that precede the signing of a healthcare PFI project contract had an impact on the final choice of facilities or their specifications. The two contracting parties sought a balance between an optimal allocation of risks, choice of facilities and project price. Although the risk management techniques being used are generic in nature, there is still no evidence at the moment to show that these are appropriate for PFI projects. It is important that further investigation is undertaken to assess the level of current skills in risk management techniques to deal with PFI projects and the extent to which these techniques are appropriate to tackle complex healthcare PFI projects. (Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.

Quantification of construction clients' needs through paired comparisons

The psychometric technique of paired comparisons was employed to quantify clients' construction project needs. If clients' requirements can be adequately evaluated, projects can be planned with more certainty and be tailored to greater client satisfaction. The research involved 60 clients' ranking of eight project needs: aesthetics, economy, function, quality, working relationships, safety, lack of surprises, and time. Clients' needs were classified broadly into three hierarchical groups: strongly, moderately, and weakly desired. The results showed that quality, safety, and function were the predominant needs. Each client's stated needs should dictate how the dependent variables of design, drafting specifications, selection of contractors, and resource allocation are combined

Design of A Sustainable Building: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing Sustainability in the Building Sector

This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at implementing sustainability principles in the building industry. The proposed framework based on the sustainable triple bottom line principle, includes resource conservation, cost efficiency and design for human adaptation. Following a thorough literature review, each principle involving strategies and methods to be applied during the life cycle of building projects is explained and a few case studies are presented for clarity on the methods. The framework will allow design teams to have an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental issues, changing the way construction practitioners think about the information they use when assessing building projects, thereby facilitating the sustainability of building industry

Achieving Best Value in Private Finance Initiative Project Procurement

The wherewithal of achieving best value in private finance initiative (PFI) projects and the associated problems therein are documented. In the UK, PFI has offered a solution to the problem of securing necessary investment at a time of severe public expenditure restraint. In PFI schemes, the public sector clients must secure value for money, while the private sector service providers must genuinely assume responsibility for project risks. A broad-based investigation into PFI risk management informs the discussion in this paper. It is based on 68 interviews with PFI participants and a case study of eight PFI projects. The research participants comprised of contractors, financial institutions, public sector clients, consultants and facilities management organizations. The qualitative software Atlas.ti was used to analyse the textual data generated. The analysis showed that the achievement of best value requirements through PFI should hinge on: detailed risk analysis and appropriate risk allocation, drive for faster project completion, curtailment in project cost escalation, encouragement of innovation in project development, and maintenance cost being adequately accounted for. Factors that continue to challenge the achievement of best value are: high cost of the PFI procurement process, lengthy and complex negotiations, difficulty in specifying the quality of service, pricing of facility management services, potential conflicts of interests among those involved in the procurement, and the public sector clients' inability to manage consultants. (Routledge

Outsourcing the Risk Analysis Function in 'Private Finance Initiative' Projects

This research was sponsored jointly by EPSRC and DETR and involved Carillion, Royal Bank of Scotland, Morrison Construction, Amec, Centre for the Built Environment in Glasgow and Public-Private Partnership Programme Ltd as partners.The optimisation of risk transfer and risk management in ‘Private Finance Initiative’ (PFI) projects involves the accurate assessment of these risks. The manner in which risks are analysed and the extent, to which this function is outsourced in PFI projects, is examined in this article. The discussions are informed by an investigation conducted at Glasgow Caledonian University. Literature was reviewed, upon which a survey instrument was developed. A qualitative methodology was adopted, and involved a total of 90 interviews with diverse PFI participants in the UK. The ‘AtlasTi’ software was utilised in the analysis of data. The interviews revealed that the bulk of the risk analysis function in PFI is usually done in-house, while a minor part is often outsourced to technical, legal and financial cum insurance experts. Other disciplines consulted, albeit occasionally, include traffic engineering, environmental science, planning and surveying. The objective is to outsource those aspects where in-house expertise is deficient. When tasked with risk analysis, consultants were adjudged to usually render a good job

Multi-criteria evaluation model for the selection of sustainable materials for building projects

Sustainable material selection represents an important strategy in building design. Current building materials selection methods fail to provide adequate solutions for two major issues: assessment based on sustainability principles, and the process of prioritizing and assigning weights to relevant assessment criteria. This paper proposes a building material selection model based on the fuzzy extended analytical hierarchy process (FEAHP) techniques, with a view to providing solutions for these two issues. Assessment criteria are identified based on sustainable triple bottom line (TBL) approach and the need of building stakeholders. A questionnaire survey of building experts is conducted to assess the relative importance of the criteria and aggregate them into six independent assessment factors. The FEAHP is used to prioritize and assign important weightings for the identified criteria. A numerical example, illustrating the implementation of the model is given. The proposed model provides guidance to building designers in selecting sustainable building materials. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved