Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to advance ways of promoting collaborative cooperation
between contractors and their supply chain in South Africa. The research approach is
qualitative, and the design is based on multiple case studies. It was found that collaboration
in South African construction sites has taken a different form from that of the international
construction community. The nature of collaboration in South African construction is one
of mutual dependency as well as antagonistic relations within teams on-site. Industry
professionals apply collaboration by means of incentive programmes and standard
contracts. This paper reinforces the idea that supply chain management collaborative
practice can be identified within the existing structures of site practices, thus showing that
collaborative practices are an integrative management approach. There is a need to develop
and implement alternative forms of contracts, such as negotiated and strategic alliancing
contracts which are tailored to South African construction. Collaboration enablers, such as
regular communication, frequent meetings, incentives, and reward programmes, can
improve the morale of the construction team. Opportunities thus exist for eliminating noncollaborative
tailored practices between contractors and their supply chain in South Africa.
