Partnering – from a client perspective

Sammanfattning: During the nineties, a lot of criticism was aimed at the construction industry. Partnering emerged as a way to tackle the problems. The principle of partnering is that the parties agree to jointly achieve common project goals by mutual trust and understanding of each other's values and expectations. Although partnering has existed for nearly three decades, the meaning of the concept is still illusive and what advantages it entails. However, the concept is nevertheless used by the industry. The paper aims to improve the understanding of the motives for implementing partnering by examining why partnering is implemented by HSB Bostad AB and what motives exists for its usage. Empirical data was collected by using a case study of HSB Bostad AB, and analyzed on the basis of economic theories and models. The results show that partnering primarily is used in projects which are; complex, have big scope and where there is limited competition among contractors. Partnering is also used as; a risk-balancer in the project portfolio (because HSB Bostad’s risk exposure varies in different contract forms), an educational medium and a platform for a more enjoyable work-environment.