The influence of resource dependency on collaboration in the construction supply chain

In the construction industry, supply chains consist of clients, project managers, builders, consultants and suppliers, resulting in a diverse group of trades that extend down to a single labourer. The construction supply chain is often seen as a highly volatile and inefficient mechanism that falls well short of expectations due to its project focus rather than its supply chain management prowess. With relationships in the construction industry being viewed as short term and project based, the development of enduring relationships becomes difficult. It is well documented that the construction supply chain suffers from significant deficiencies in production. Hence it is wasteful and lacks cohesion with relationships being fragmented and at arm’s length. In order to improve cohesion and productivity, the relationships among the supply chain actors needs to be improved. However, in order to do so, there is a need to understand what drives the relationship and what key factors determine why actors will enter into a work or project relationship and why the arm’s length approach is a constant in the industry. This thesis extends the research into the influence of resource dependency on collaboration in the construction supply chain, specifically explores the relationship between supply chain actors and at various stages of the procurement process all the way to the project realisation stage. Particularly, the research aims to investigate and identify “what influence does resource dependency have on collaboration in the construction supply chain?”