Role of the Owner’s Representative Within the Construction Industry: Case Study of Chile

Abstract

Supervision during the execution phase of a construction project is essential to ensure successful project completion. In most instances, this task is completed by qualified technical authorities, also known as owner’s representatives (ORs). This research presents a model to analyze the role of the OR during the execution phase of construction projects using a multivariable—partial least squares (PLS)—analysis. This analysis was used to determine the interrelation of OR activities that pertain to project success. A PLS model was designed to assess the significant factors that influence the effectiveness of OR operations using the data gathered through surveys distributed to managers of consulting firms that provide OR services in Chile. The PLS model results indicated that the most important activities fulfilled by the ORs are quality control, cost control, schedule tracking (time), owner/contractor relations, and productivity verification. Although the first three are generally accepted to be the fundamental elements of a successful project, findings presented here provide additional insight, quantitative assessment of all these factors, their interrelations, and the strength of these relationships. This article is concluded with practical implications of the findings that would enable more efficient construction project management.