Exploiting E-Commerce in Construction

The advancement in technology has provided organisations with a platform, which offers an alternative manner to deliver their services; as such, many organisations are relying on the World Wide Web (WWW) and the internet as a medium to offer their services and conduct business. e-Commerce plays an important role in construction organisations day-to-day business practices. It is considered that the e-Commerce solutions would have a greater impact on the fragmented construction industry by unifying the different stakeholders including clients, regulatory authorities, consultants, contractors and the supply chain. The use of e-Commerce in the construction industry is steadily growing when compared to other industrial sectors and in some cases it is becoming a mainstream method of transactions such as procurement and payment of commodities between companies. Thus, this chapter provides an overview of e-Commerce and e-Commerce technologies, presents extant e-Commerce literature in construction and explores the drivers and barriers to the adoption of e-Commerce within the construction industry