Can procurement affect design performance

There is an emerging view in the construction industry that better performance or better value
for money can be achieved by integrating teamwork for planning, design and construction of
building projects. There are though, two opposing perspectives regarding how changes in
traditional design practices should occur. Advocates of sustainable construction in North
America posit that it is a matter of evolving processes, moving from a sequential to an iterative approach to design, whereas the British government supports the view that a change in how
projects are procured is required to transform the context that dictates relationships among the
members of the team. The objective of the research is to study the influence of procurement on
the performance of integrated design teams. It analyses, through case studies representing these
two perspectives, the influence of procurement on the performance of integrated teams. The
research is conclusive in that it is the context created by contractual relationship, and not the
process set up for conducting integrated design, that most influence team efficiency. It
demonstrates that traditional procurement processes reinforce socio-cognitive barriers that
hinder team efficiency. It also illustrates how new procurement modes can transform the
dynamics of relationships between the client and the members of the supply chain, and have a
positive impact on team performance.