Likelihood of early contractor involvement (ECI) benefits in infrastructure versus building projects: the client’s perception

Abstract

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) is a feature that has been used in many construction projects to onboard contractor competence early in the project lifecycle. Recently, there has been a growing interest in testing whether ECI can also be useful for building projects. Following a systematic literature review approach, a comprehensive list of potential benefits of ECI was identified. This study utilizes empirical data collected from 91 respondents from three client organizations to explore the likelihood of these benefits in a project. In general, the results show that improved innovation, enhanced constructability, and greater collaboration are perceived to be the most likely benefits of ECI. The likelihood of ECI benefits is moderated by the type of project, with building projects more likely to benefit from ECI. Regarding job roles, project management professionals are the most optimistic about the likelihood of these benefits. The results also indicate that there is no significant difference in the likelihood of the benefits based on the respondents’ experience with collaborative projects. However, respondents having prior experience with ECI have a different outlook than those without ECI experience for the better quality of solution and reduction in project cost dimensions.