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Do actors’ incentives obstruct sector-wide long-term productivity in the design and production of bridges in Sweden?

    Johan Lagerkvist Affiliation
    ; Petra Bosch-Sijtsema Affiliation
    ; Ola Lӕdre Affiliation
    ; Mats Karlsson Affiliation
    ; Peter Simonsson Affiliation
    ; Rasmus Rempling Affiliation

Abstract

An increase in productivity is necessary to reduce economic costs in bridge projects. Previous research indicates that construction productivity has decreased since the 1960s. A quantitative study was performed to find out how the incentives of the three major actors (client, contractor, and design engineer) could be obstacles to long-term productivity in the Swedish bridge construction industry. The study was performed as a self-completed questionnaire and received 151 responses. The results show that the contractors’ employees find profit in a single project more important than the company’s profit over time. Thus, the project´s incentives obstruct innovation and standardization, which could benefit future projects and thereby increase long-term productivity and the company’s profit over time. In contrast to contractors, design engineers and clients value company profit more than profit in a single project, and they value the quality of delivered products as the most important factor for increased long-term productivity.


First published online 10 December 2024

Keyword : productivity, incentives, obstacles, early contractor involvement, design-build, design-bid-build

How to Cite
Lagerkvist, J., Bosch-Sijtsema, P., Lӕdre O., Karlsson, M., Simonsson, P., & Rempling, R. (2024). Do actors’ incentives obstruct sector-wide long-term productivity in the design and production of bridges in Sweden?. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3846/jcem.2024.22720
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Dec 10, 2024
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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