Strategic Partnering Between Client, Contractor, and Subcontractor

The concept of strategic partnering has recently gained significant attention in the Norwegian construction industry. Strategic partnering is a project delivery method that emphasizes a more collaborative approach than traditional delivery methods. It shares similarities with a Lean project delivery approach, as both seek to optimize and create more collaborative projects. In this paper, strategic partnering is broken down into three key elements of Lean Construction: contractual, organizational, and relational elements. Through this, the paper aims to contribute to understanding strategic partnering between a client, general contractor, and a key subcontractor by addressing the following research questions: 1) How is strategic partnering practiced in Norwegian construction projects, and 2) What are the experiences of practicing strategic partnering in Norway? An in-depth case study was conducted to investigate ways to enhance strategic partnering in future projects. A combination of a literature review and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection for this paper. The findings show that using strategic partnering improved project outcomes, with trust, early contractor involvement, contingency of key participants, and problem resolution being crucial aspects of the collaboration. However, more attention should be paid to evaluating the other parties in the context of the strategic partnership.