Construction project partnering: a case study in Hong Kong

Relationships in the construction industry in Hong Kong have been described as adversarial in nature and characterized by confrontation and mutual suspicion. Plagued by declining profit margins, corruption scandals, increases in formal litigation and arbitration, concerns over quality standards of works, increases in administrative overheads and an erosion of general competitiveness, the high-powered Construction Industry Review Committee commissioned by the Chief Executive recommends Partnering in its 2001 report as one of the many measures to revamp and overhaul the local construction industry. Partnering was first introduced in America with ample examples of success and later promoted in UK by Sir John Egan in his report "Rethinking Construction". A number of enterprising public organizations and government agencies in Hong Kong have begun to experiment with Partnering in a few of their building and engineering projects amid conventional constraints. This paper attempts to evaluate the perceived successes and drawbacks with a housing construction project where a Project Partnering approach was introduced at the commencement of construction. Findings from this case study may help to shed light on the viability of Partnering as a feasible approach for enhancing construction quality and efficiency in Hong Kong.