Abstract
M.Tech. (Construction Management)
The purpose of this study was to advance ways of promoting collaborative cooperation between contractors and their supply chain (SC) in South Africa. The study evaluated Supply Chain Management (SCM) collaborative practices in construction contracting to set the premise for the coordination of production activities in South African construction. The research approach is qualitative and the design is based on multiple case studies. Convergence analysis was conducted on two data sources: archival documents and interviews from three case studies. It was found that collaboration in South African construction sites has taken a different form from the international construction community. Moreover, the study reinforced the idea that SCM collaborative practice can be identified within the existing structures of site practices, thus showing that collaborative practices are an integrative management approach. The field work also showed the rudimentary existence of collaboration among the construction teams in South Africa, thus establishing areas in which collaboration could be improved. Further findings characterised the nature of collaboration in South African construction as one of mutual dependency while acknowledging the existence of antagonistic relations within teams. The study also indicated that professionals apply collaboration by means of incentive programmes and standard contracts. The study further showed a need to develop and implement alternative forms of contracts such as negotiated, strategic alliancing contracts that are tailored to South African construction. Opportunities thus exist for eliminating non-collaborative practices between contractors and their supply chain in South Africa.