A Systematic evaluation of blockchain-enabled contract administration in construction projects

Abstract

Inefficient and ineffective Construction Contract Administration (CCA) is at the root of many of the sector challenges. Emerging digital technologies such as blockchain are revealing some capabilities with the potential for improving CCA. This paper addresses the research question of whether and how can blockchain contribute to improving CCA and what are the specific challenges to its adoption in CCA. The study adopts a systematic review of studies in this domain and their subsequent analysis against a CCA framework. Most applications were found to be centered on two CCA functions; the financial management, and the document and record management. CCA functions that embed complex contractual logics such as claims and disputes resolution management have received scant attention. To advance blockchain application in CCA, a structured roadmap of its key challenges relating to technology, process, policy and society is proposed for future research. The outcome of this paper provides scholars, practitioners and policymakers, interested in construction contracts, with the evidence about the current level of blockchain contribution to CCA and a structured set of recommendations for future research.