Early contractor involvement in a developing country context: Public - private sector differences and emerging variants

Abstract

Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) has been widely promoted for improving project performance and constructability. However, its application in developing country contexts remains underexplored. This study evaluates the awareness and practical adoption of ECI in Sri Lanka, a developing country, across public and private sectors, and identifies the appropriate level of contractor involvement in these sectors. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews with industry professionals in the procurement of the public and private sectors. Quantitative data were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and the Mann–Whitney U test, while qualitative insights supported interpretation. The findings reveal that although there is a general awareness of ECI, the private sector demonstrates greater familiarity with its features, mainly in integrating contractor expertise, optimising resources, and enabling constructability inputs to designs. In contrast, the public sector shows limited adoption due to regulatory barriers, including strict adherence to procurement guidelines that prioritise transparency and lowest-cost selection over collaboration. Consequently, approaches such as Public–Private Partnerships and Target Cost Contracting have more potential for ECI in public projects, whereas BIM-based Integrated Project Delivery, Alliance and Design and Build Novated contracting are preferred in the private sector.