Evaluation of Factors Influencing Construction Clients' Decision to Build

Abstract

Evidence indicates that construction clients are not wholly satisfied with the performance achieved on many of their projects, with the blame for failures often attributed to both consultants and contractors. However, the findings of a survey described in this paper suggest that there are several factors influencing a client's decision to build that ultimately bear upon a successful project outcome. It is imperative for project participants to understand these factors before developing the project objectives. These factors operate in the following three main groupings: organizational variables, including director's preference, corporate ego, status/prestige, location, and profit/economic reasons; structural variables, including change of attitude, cultural influence, social expectation, workers' pressure; and externalities, including users' preference, and need for more facilities. Organizational factors predominate the decision to build. If the consultant in general and the client in particular can appreciate the factors that instigate the project, they will both perform their respective roles adequately and ensure a succesful project outcome.