Sourcing of public sector building surveying and engineering professional services : a framework for progression

This research provides a significant and original contribution to knowledge, theory, the English local government, and other sectors. A robust examination of four outsourcing projects provides an important contribution to knowledge. The use of personal construct theory during the case study phase provides an original contribution to theory. The research and resulting framework provides beneficence to clients, suppliers, users, and researchers with a sourcing interest at both academic and practical levels. The literature suggested that cost, quality, and speed are the key drivers of sourcing. However, all three were rarely attained together. The literature also identified the importance of understanding the nature of the client / vendor relationship at operational and strategic levels, and the contingent preparation of a turnback / exit strategy. The research incorporated a mixed methods approach. The initial phase of the research employed a survey to contextualise the nature of sourcing within the local government sector. The survey was undertaken from an objectivist position. The results from the first phase indicated that facilities management was amongst the most popular services outsourced. The main driving factors were cost saving, improvements to operational capacity, and access to skills and technology. The popular contract values were up to £5m, and greater than £20m with contract durations 3 – 5 years and 10 plus years. The second phase of the research used a case study strategy that incorporated interview tactics from an interpretivist position. To observe the ‘truth of their reality’ personal construct theory incorporating repertory grids was used to elicit constructs from the participants, and ultimately inform the framework. The main issues arising from the case studies included: lack of client / supplier trust, contractual restrictions, performance monitoring, over promising and under delivering. The framework was synthesised from the key issues identified within the research modes of enquiry