The Dark Side of Value-for-Money: How Public Procurement Affects Workers’ Safety in the Construction Industry

• Studies on shading behaviour of contractors have in the past been focused on lack of product quality and other factors affecting the customer. This study of 222 publicly procured road and railroad projects aim to analyse shading behaviour from a perspective of workers safety. The study shows, though with limitations in statistical power, that the number of reported incidents related to workers’ safety increases in projects with high numbers of bidders, i.e. projects under high competitive pressure, further the number of days of registered sick leave also increases with higher numbers of bidders. However, measures directly related to contractors shading behaviour do seem to increase prediction of number of accidents and sick leave days. It is suggested that public authority has to construct bid competitions in manners which does not necessarily aim at the best bargain but rather have a fair bargain approach balancing the goals of the contractor and the goals of the public client. This can be done by balancing the allocation of risks more evenly among the parties ex ante.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Byggproduktion (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Construction Management (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

bidding

construction

workers’ safety

incomplete contracting

Property rights

public procurement

bidding

Publikations- och innehållstyp

kon (ämneskategori)

ref (ämneskategori)