Dispute avoidance from the perspective of procurement methods : a conceptual focus

Abstract

Disputes are unavoidable in construction projects due to their complex characteristics and involvement of different parties, which can interrupt the smooth construction process. Hence, proper dispute avoidance strategies need to be implemented to avoid disputes beforehand. On the other hand, the previous researchers suggested that there is a link between disputes and procurement methods. Therefore, the current research investigates the disputes in the construction industry from the perspective of different procurement methods. A systematic literature review was carried out to identify the available procurement methods in the construction industry, disputes and dispute avoidance strategies and the features of the procurement methods from the perspective of disputes. Firstly, a total of fifty-two key research papers on the research area were employed to review. The literature findings revealed that the industry has moved towards collaborative approaches from the traditional procurement method with higher dispute frequency because as per the findings the likelihood of disputes seems less in the projects procured under collaboration. It further revealed that the inherent features of collaborative approach such as teamwork, relationships and mutual understanding give less prosper towards disputes. Therefore, the findings of the review conclude that the selection of collaborative procurement method at the early stages of a project can reduce the possibilities of disputes from the perspective of procurement methods.