PhD Final Thesis April 2013.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Thesis Keith Gale 2013individual projects are subject to competitive pressures, the certainty that onesupplier within the closed community will be awarded each project provides anincentive for all too actively participate. The ability to gain a proportion of a regularand secure work stream provides levels of continuity that are not present withdiscrete tendering methods.In return for a position within a framework, suppliers are often expected toparticipate with other activities and provide resources towards performance of agroup that are not available for a single project. Suppliers to frameworks will look toimprove performance as a group – for example as providers towards highwaysinfrastructure – and seek to be aware of stakeholders and the effects of project to thewider community. This requires a managerial resource to attend meetings togetherwith the authority to implement changes within the supplier organisation.Operationally, inclusion within a framework involves additional demands due to thecollection of performance data and monitoring of key indicators or critical factors.Although some data is applicable to all projects irrespective of procurement method,such as contractual dates, frameworks often include more metrics when comparedwith discrete projects.2.4 Framework project development and performance impactA review of the impact of framework agreements necessitates examination of thedevelopment of a construction project in order to identify the most appropriate periodto apply performance evaluation methods. Performance evaluation can be measuredat any stage of project delivery, but difficulties occur with methods of measurementand quantification of results until a project reaches sufficient maturity for tangiblemetrics to be applied. Research into construction project management has identifiedsix phases, namely - conception, planning, design, tender, construction and operation(Lim and Mohamed, 1999). Each phase requires efficient execution in order tocontribute toward successful delivery of the completed development, but the natureof the phases incorporates distinct dynamism. Resources used for elements ofconcept, design and planning may be recorded to provide comparative costs ortimescales for a project, but the variances between projects render such outcomesinherently unreliable. A single external variable at the early stage of a project – forexample, a planning delay, causes comparisons to be unrealistic. Controlled phases41