A benefits analysis of partnering: A case study of a community primary school

Abstract

Partnering, which involves all members of the project team working together to improve performance through agreeing mutual objectives, is a construct; on procurement strategy encouraged by the UK Government, as it believed that such a strategy will provide best value, which is an aspect especially critical for public clients. Partnering may be strategic or applied to a specific project only. A regionally based main contractor (MC) constructed the Community Primary School (CPS) for a Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) using a project partnering arrangement; such an arrangement was also in place between the main contractor and its key sub‐contractors. The overall conclusion, derived from the analysis of a case study carried out on the project, is that the CPS project has been a very successful project. Broadly, it was completed ahead of schedule, an achievement which undoubtedly would not have been possible without the use of partnering which allowed an overlap of the design and construction activities, there was a slight overspend above budget, the health and safety of people involved in its construction was not compromised and the finished product is of a high quality, fit for purpose.