Integrated Project Delivery in Construction Industry

Dear Colleagues,

We have recently seen a greater emphasis on collaboration and collaborative delivery methods to ensure project success in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. The basic premise behind this is that traditional delivery methods are not suitable to address the complexities in projects today. Thus, we need a new delivery model to provide a comprehensive framework for delivering successful outcomes. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is now touted as a key approach to delivering successful outcomes in construction project management. It offers a new environment that results in cost savings, better quality, less ‘stress and friction’, and overall improvement in productivity. IPD is defined as a “project delivery approach that integrates people, systems, business structures, and practices into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to optimise project results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, and maximise efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction and use”. It brings consideration of asset and facilities management into the earliest phase of a project, differentiating them from partnering, alliancing and other construction project delivery approaches. IPD is flaunted as a cure all for the problems of the AEC industry. As such, these claims need to be both documented, evaluated and challenged, with evidence, by academics and practitioners. Hence, this proposal is submitted to the journal.

Over the years, research on different facets of IPD has extended from categorisation to institutional analysis, factors enabling adoption, trust-based models, collaborative frameworks, IPD performance benchmarking, implementation processes, and technological platforms required for successful implementation of IPD. The research community has also increasingly drawn attention to early collaborative engagement among key stakeholders through construction-driven design. It is also believed that for IPD to become the dominant, emergent practice in AEC, significant efforts are required from stakeholders in:

Adopting digital technologies to empower IPD processes.

The importance of digital technologies, Industry 4.0, is well documented in the built-environment literature. We have seen building information modelling and a Common Data Environment (CDE) for streamlined information sharing among project stakeholders in IPD projects take off. Virtual and Augmented Realities, gaming, and simulation software are being used to mimic reality to generate a better understanding of design, construction, facility management, and safety issues. However, the adoption of digital technologies that fit organisational needs, job requirements, task fulfilment, and, most importantly, fit the IPD processes need further exploration.

Culturally oriented collaborative frameworks for effectively implementing IPD.

IPD is all about culture change, moving away from the traditional, adversarial culture towards a collaborative culture. IPD focuses on developing a blame-free environment for project stakeholders to share knowledge and information and to question assumptions and ideas with a best-for-project mindset. Literature on national, professional, organisational, team, and other forms of culture is well documented in construction project management. However, reflecting on cultural aspects in shaping the required IPD collaborative culture and rooting this in the AEC industry and the project is necessary in order for IPD to be successful.

New collaborative contracts for IPD.

New forms of contract are needed to provide a sound basis for collaboration and integration among stakeholders. The use of collaborative contracts, to avoid a carrot-and-stick approach in client–contractor relations, can ensure sound project governance. A bespoke collaborative contract can assure success as it will engender the required culture and flexibility for project stakeholders to manoeuvre within the bounds of “a best for project” contract.

Thus, IPD requires a particular mindset amongst the participants to ensure the achievement of outcomes. This message has been reflected in earlier work by Bygballe et al., that concludes that IPD delivery models involve a complex interplay of formal and informal mechanisms to enable better integration among stakeholders. This complex interplay adds value to projects through knowledge exchange and innovation among project stakeholders and, in the long run, is self-perpetuating as these are captured in the project team. As a result, stakeholders become aware of unseen limitations and develop a knowledge-driven process to provide better-quality work, cost savings, and an overall improvement in productivity.

The aim of this Special Issue is to broaden our thinking on IPD in the AEC industry. More importantly, the excellence of theoretical contributions towards IPD (particularly those submissions adopting the lens of Institutional Analysis) within AEC industry, together with methodological rigour, are the key criteria for selecting manuscripts. Novel perspectives on IPD from a theoretical standpoint linking them and technological, management and business innovations to support collaborative processes are welcome. We welcome papers contributing to the topic that broaden our understanding of IPD (conceptually, methodologically, and empirically).

Prof. Dr. Steve Rowlinson
Dr. Shoeb. A. Memon
Prof. Dr. Bonaventura H. W. Hadikusumo
Dr. Llewellyn Tang
Guest Editors

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