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Focuses on the need for America to modernize and streamline the nation's transportation and energy production systems.

The potential to promote health and safety (H and S) through public procurement has resulted in increased expectation for public sector clients to integrate H and S matters into their procurement decisions and practices. Developing countries are however far behind in this endeavour. Using qualitative research, therefore, this study explored how public clients integrate H and S into the procurement of public works. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 contractors and public sector clients who have vast experience in the procurement of public works. The data was analysed using both inductive and deductive thematic analyses. The findings show that the extent of H and S integration into the procurement process depended on the funding source(s) for public projects. H and S matters are generally overlooked in the various procurement stages for public projects funded by the government, while in those funded by international development agencies, H and S matters are prioritized, and therefore, given considerable attention. The research contributes to construction H and S improvement research in developing countries by giving insight into the extent of H and S integration into public procurement. It also contributes to the understanding of the influence of funding sources on the extent to which H and S matters are integrated into public procurement in developing countries.

Purpose There is a limited number of research work on critical success factors (CSFs) in public construction projects in Saudi Arabia. In response to this knowledge gap, the objective of this paper is to assess the impact of CSFs on the government construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The success factors are investigated from a broader consideration of failure criteria, from consideration of most effectiveness in successful project completion and also from consideration of the impact of implementing control processes for successful project completion. Design/methodology/approach This study has analysed the impact of success factors on construction projects in Saudi Arabia using a descriptive methodology. An exhaustive literature survey is undertaken to identify the success and failure factors related to government construction projects in Saudi Arabia. The survey data are sorted out and analysed by cost, schedule, technical, context and finance dimensions of the projects based on project types, engineering complexity, size, modality, jurisdictional control and funding approach. To evaluate the influence of success factors implementation, qualitative data were collected in a survey via a web-based questionnaire that was sent to officials working and occupying a responsible position in national project guidelines organizations and in government construction organizations in Saudi Arabia. In all, 28 CSFs were identified, ranked and evaluated for their impact on project success. The four identified factors belong to process categories of construction projects, nine factors belong to management of construction projects and 15 success factors are identified for impact assessment of implementation in construction projects. Findings The study's findings have identified and ranked the top five CSFs that significantly influence project outcomes, including meeting time targets, adhering to financial budgets, delivering desired outcomes for all stakeholders, effectively managing risks and assembling the appropriate team while optimizing resource allocation. Additionally, the research indicates that hindrances to projects primarily stem from execution, economic, human and political factors. The study advocates for strict controls over incomplete engineering designs and advises against contractors independently handling design work to ensure project success. Additionally, addressing contractors' qualifications and financial matters is crucial for project success. By highlighting these CSFs and challenges, the research provides actionable insights to enhance project management practices in the construction industry. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to the infrastructure projects constructed by governmental bodies with the participation of officials from government organizations. Further study, including private projects and officials working on private projects, may be needed to generalized the research outcome. Originality/value Numerous studies have investigated CSFs in construction projects, but few have examined their relevance to Saudi Arabian government projects. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying key CSFs specific to Saudi Arabian public sector construction projects and assessing their impact on project success. It advocates for stringent controls in the Saudi Arabian construction sector, emphasizing the importance of preventing incomplete or altered engineering designs by contractors to increase the success rate of public sector projects. This research offers practical insights to stakeholders, advancing project management practices in Saudi Arabia's construction sector for improved outcomes and resource utilization.

One of the emerging forms of cooperation in managing government projects is partnering (samspill) to address repetitive problems in large projects. Inefficiency, conflict, and cost volatility remain work issues in the public sector. Although risk sharing and incentive schemes are other aspects of partnering that are the subject of a significant amount of research, there is limited investigation into the softer aspects of partnering. The nature of partnering and how it is practiced depends on various components, such as trust, leadership, and culture; however, they are not well defined or appreciated. This paper investigates how these soft aspects are implemented and perceived in four mega Norwegian public construction projects that use a partnering model. In the present study, a qualitative research approach was adopted, and nine face-to-face interviews were conducted with project leaders from four case organizations in public sector healthcare, government, and education sectors. However, despite having similar contractual provisions, the projects exhibited varying degrees of collaboration success, indicating that formal agreements alone do not determine effective partnering. The outcomes from this study established that value-based leadership is central to the success of collaboration and should, therefore, be a priority when designing partnering in the public sector. Additionally, the results add to the existing debates regarding the application of soft values in the formal structures of the business and support the notion of leadership-based approaches in construction management, especially in the public domain.

This study investigates the reliability of monodiscipline IFC/BIM models in public construction projects of educational facilities through advanced clash detection and quantitative analysis. Data were collected from BIM models of two kindergartens and a school in Vilnius, Lithuania, representing different design disciplines. A mixed-methods approach was employed to analyse the number, types, and geometric characteristics of detected clashes. The research introduces innovative metrics, such as the Relative Quality Coefficient (RQC), Relative Uncertainty Coefficient (RUC), and Modified Relative Quality Coefficient (MRQC), to assess model quality and reliability quantitatively. The findings reveal a direct relationship between model complexity, clash detection precision, and the number of identified clashes, underscoring the importance of enhanced quality control measures in IFC/BIM models for public procurement. The study concludes that the implementation of these novel metrics can enhance the reliability of IFC/BIM models, thereby optimizing the design and construction process.

Many scientific publications pointed out delays in the progress of payments by owners as one of the top direct causes of project delays and disputes. This research investigates the causes of payment delays and explores deliberate delay tactics and their reasons within Saudi Arabian public construction projects. This research employs a robust mixed methodology, an extensive literature review, and preliminary semi-structured interviews to identify the causes of payment delays and possible tactics and reasons for deliberate delays or procrastinated payment. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey is distributed among experienced personnel. The survey aims to verify the results of the first phase, assess occurrence rates of the causes of payment delays, study tactical forms used by parties to delay payment, and identify reasons for such practices. The findings of the study reveal that the contractual issues group has the highest score for occurring, deliberate disruptions occur although they are not prevalent, tactics to deliberate delays exist and are practiced, and all the possible forms of deliberate delays under investigation and reasons for deliberate delays are confirmed valid. This study provides valuable insights for businesses and policymakers seeking to comprehend the issue of payment delays in Saudi Arabian public construction projects.

Delays in public construction projects remain a global challenge, with contractor selection playing a crucial role in mitigating or exacerbating such delays. This study examines the impact of contractor selection criteria on project delays in Jordan’s public construction sector, offering insights applicable to similar contexts. By integrating Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), this research develops a structured framework for contractor pre-qualification, enhancing decision-making processes. Using a mixed-method approach, data was collected from 250 industry professionals and two school construction case studies. Findings highlight quality commitment (RI 0.82), cost adherence (RI 0.77), and timely completion (RI 0.824) as key success factors. The study also quantifies the impact of contractor selection on project performance (impact index: 80.6%) and identifies critical prequalification attributes, including technical staff competency (27%), project planning (22%), and financial stability (20%). This research makes a significant contribution by introducing a standardized contractor selection framework that balances cost and quality considerations, addressing a critical gap in existing literature. The findings provide actionable recommendations for policymakers, advocating a shift from lowestbid selection toward a more holistic contractor evaluation to enhance project success

The issue of corruption in Yemen’s construction industry receives less attention from researchers and reporters due to its sensitivity and complexity. This article aimed to uncover and assess the causes and effects of corruption in the Yemeni construction industry and propose preventive measures. A general explorative literature study was carried out to explore and identify the causes, effects and countermeasures contributing to and resulting from the spread of corruption in the country’s construction industry. Accordingly, a questionnaire survey was developed and then distributed to Yemeni construction practitioners. The participants hand to rank each factor using a five-point Likert scale. The study findings showed that the most dominant causes of corruption were political instability, economic instability, a lack of law enforcement, lobbying and a lack of transparency. The major effects of corruption were the cessation of foreign investment, project failures, disruption of social and economic development, the construction of defective and dangerous infrastructure and the offering of tenders to unqualified contractors. The study proposed some preventive measures and the ones with the highest priority, namely support of public disclosure, third-party evaluation of contractors, motivating honesty and high integrity, transparent employee recruitment and supporting freedom of the press. The finding of the current study could best serve the Ministry of Works and other legislative state departments in addressing their anti-corruption agendas and bringing forward the attention of public awareness.

The promotion of the EPC model in public construction projects is a priority for reform in the Chinese construction industry. This study integrates the push–pull–mooring (PPM) model with the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework to explore the influencing factors and action mechanisms of adopting the EPC model of the owners of public construction projects in China. An online questionnaire was sent to public construction project owners who have participated in EPC projects. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the survey data. The results identified that the push factors for public construction project owners to the adoption of the EPC model include owners’ management ability, owner’s knowledge about EPC, and the matching degree between the owner’s management philosophy and EPC model; the pull factor is the performance pressure of the project; and the mooring factors include subjective norms, the maturity degree of the EPC, and the support environment. In addition, perceived usefulness, cognitive, and adoption attitude play a mediating role in the relationship between external stimuli and adoption behavior. Overall, this study enhances the understanding of Chinese public project owners’ behavior in adopting the EPC model and provides a theoretical basis for policy recommendations to promote the adoption of the EPC model by public construction project owners in China.