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Proceedings / IGLC 33

IGLC 33 · Osaka and Kyoto, Japan · 2025

Exploring IGLC Literature on Subcontracting

  1. MS Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, gregory.saragih@berkeley.edu, orcid.org/0009-0001-4698-3722
  2. PhD Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, rvcoelho@berkeley.edu, orcid.org/0000-0003-3298-3622
  3. MS Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, nugrakasih@berkeley.edu, orcid.org/0009-0001-9821-0481
  4. MS Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, watarukon@berkeley.edu, orcid.org/0009-0009-2254-8089
  5. Distinguished Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Director, Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, tommelein@berkeley.edu, orcid.org/0000-0002-9941-6596

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0143

Abstract

Subcontractors are essential to the delivery of many construction projects. However, current approaches to subcontracting are known to be disjointed, with systemic issues such as misaligned objectives among project stakeholders, fragmented workflows, and transactional relationships often limiting subcontractors’ contribution to project success. To support future research in this area, this paper explores how subcontracting has been discussed in selected IGLC literature, grouped into four themes to reflect subcontractors’ involvement across project stages: Selection, Engagement, Execution, and Evaluation. Within each theme, the paper offers reflections and poses open-ended questions that may help inform future studies into the role of subcontractors in Lean Construction. While acknowledging that the observations may not capture the full breadth of existing research, this paper offers preliminary insights into how subcontracting has been addressed in the IGLC literature and suggests opportunities for future study.

Keywords

  • Subcontracting
  • Lean Construction
  • collaboration
  • relational contracting
  • trade partners.

Cite this paper

APA 7th edition

Saragih, G. F., Coelho, R. V., Kasih, R. N., Kon, W., & Tommelein, I. D. (2025). Exploring IGLC Literature on Subcontracting. In O. Seppänen, L. Koskela, & K. Murata (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 117–128). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0143

Shortened reference for IGLC papers

Saragih, G. F., Coelho, R. V., Kasih, R. N., Kon, W., & Tommelein, I. D. (2025). Exploring IGLC Literature on Subcontracting. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0143