Factors affecting the selection of a procurement method for steel building construction

Construction procurement involves organizing processes of acquiring services and products for activities starting from project investigation to completion of a project. Along with the development of new concepts and technologies, construction procurement arrangements were also developed to draw the best value for construction organizations. Selecting the best procurement method for a specific project is a challenge since the availability of diverse procurement options and subjective factors affecting the selection of procurement methods. An inappropriate selection of a procurement method leads to project failure while adversely affecting the expectation of stakeholders and the economy. Since the number of steel building constructions are increasing in the Sri Lankan context this study aims to identify factors which highly influence the selection of a procurement method for steel building construction in Sri Lanka. In order to achieve the aim, initially, a comprehensive literature survey was carried out to identify factors which influence the procurement selection for building construction. Accordingly, 42 factors were identified. Subsequently, a quantitative research approach was followed to list down the factors on their significance in selecting procurement method for steel building construction in Sri Lanka. Consequently, 26 factors were concluded as the most significant factors, which influence the procurement selection of steel building construction through Relative Importance Index (RII). Procurement Path Decision Chart was used to analyses the procurement selection factor and construction management was identified as the most suitable procurement method for steel building construction in Sri Lanka.