Evaluating contractor pre-qualification process in Sri Lankan construction industry

Successful completion of a project heavily depends on the selection of a suitable contractor. The most important and the initial step of the contractor selection process is contractor pre-qualification. Prequalification process is basically used to screen out capable contractors who have potential to carry out a particular project at satisfactory level in terms of cost, quality and time in the competitive market. The aim of the research is to evaluate and optimize the existing pre-qualification process in Sri Lankan construction industry. General pre-qualification criteria and pre-qualification models including computer based models that apply in local and international industry are identified and characteristics of each evaluation method discussed through comprehensive literature survey. The questionnaire survey was carried out among the construction professionals who exposed the positive and negative aspects of currently implemented pre-qualification evaluation methods use in Sri Lankan construction industry. Application of computer based evaluation methods and use of some general pre-qualification criteria are absent in the existing practice. However, the opportunity to implement computer based evaluation models to the construction industry is more possible with the technology available in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the paper draws attention on minimizing construction disputes through proper evaluation and recommendations to optimize the pre-qualification process are also addressed in the paper