Quantifying Performance for the Integrated Project Delivery System as Compared to Established Delivery Systems
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 139, Issue 11
Abstract
Integrated project delivery (IPD) is an emerging construction project delivery system that collaboratively involves key participants very early in the project timeline, often before the design is started. It is distinguished by a multiparty contractual agreement that typically allows risks and rewards to be shared among project stakeholders. Because IPD is becoming increasingly popular, various organizations are expressing interest in its benefits to the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry. However, no research studies have shown statistically significant performance differences between IPD and more established delivery systems. This study fills that missing gap by evaluating the performance of IPD projects compared to projects delivered using the more traditional design-bid-build, design-build, and construction management at-risk systems, and showing statistically significant improvements for IPD. Relevant literature was analyzed, and a data collection instrument was developed and utilized in detailed interviews to gather quantitative performance data from 35 recently completed projects. Univariate data analyses, such as t-tests and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests, were performed to evaluate IPD performance. The results indicate that IPD achieves statistically significant improvements in 14 metrics across six performance areas: quality, schedule, project changes, communication among stakeholders, environmental, and financial performance. The major contribution of this paper is demonstrating that IPD provides higher quality facilities faster and at no significant cost premium. These results would be extremely valuable in the hands of decision makers to enable them to choose the appropriate delivery system for their projects.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the support and funding provided by the Construction and Materials Support Center (CMSC) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the preparation of this paper. Dr. Loh’s work was partially supported by U.S. Army Research Office Grant W911NF-09-1-0205. The authors also would like to thank all the industry supporters who provided endless hours of their time for the data collection effort of this study.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 139 • Issue 11 • November 2013
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 27, 2012
Accepted: May 29, 2013
Published online: Jun 1, 2013
Published in print: Nov 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Dec 26, 2013
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