Clients have been identified as critical for building delivery but have been under-researched with only a few studies about them. This book seeks to address this gap. A deeper look into the nature of construction clients and their relation to building users exposes more fundamental questions related to the activity of building and the activity in the building. These fundamental questions include 'How do clients get what they want?', 'How do clients cope with the building process?', and 'How are clients being shaped by building(s)?'. This book on clients and users is structured around three main themes: Agency is concerned with the classical agency/structure dichotomy on actions, roles and responsibilities or, put differently, whether actors can act freely or are bound by structural constraints. Governance is related to the interplay between clients and the supply system: clients govern the supply system but are at the same time governed by the supply system through different processes and mechanisms. Innovation deals with construction innovation and what part clients and users play in this struggle between change and stability. The book includes theoretical and conceptual frameworks on what constitutes clients and users as well as case studies on R&D themes of relevance to practice.

The Client Role in Successful Construction Projects is a practical guide for clients on how to initiate, procure and manage construction projects and developments. This book is written from the perspective of the client initiating a construction project as part of a business venture and differs from most available construction literature which can externalise the client as a risk to be managed by the design team. The book provides a practical framework for new and novice clients undertaking construction, giving them a voice and enabling them to: Understand the challenges that they and the project are likely to face. Communicate and interact effectively with key stakeholders and professionals within the industry. Understand in straightforward terms where they can have a positive impact on the project. Put in place a client-side due diligence process. Reduce their institutional risk and the risk of project failure. Discover how their standard models are able to co-exist and even transfer to a common client-side procedure for managing a construction project. Written by clients, for clients, this book is highly recommended not only for clients, but for construction industry professionals who want to develop their own skills and enhance their working relationship with their clients. A supporting website for the book will be available, which will give practical examples of the points illustrated in the book and practical advice from specialists in the field.

The adoption of the methodology outlined in this book allows clients to clearly define and communicate their requirements and expectations for a given project to construction industry professionals.

With the government-mandated 2016 deadline for BIM level 2 upon us there is a need for everyone in the built environment to embrace the advantages of BIM-enabled working. Clients are not often confident to play their allotted role and must understand what is required of them and how best to utilise BIM for their own benefit. This publication provides an authoritative introduction to what BIM means in real terms for clients and will enable:-Understanding of the strategic value of BIM for clients and how it changes their role;-Seeing through case studies how typical clients are experiencing using BIM;-Setting up a project on a BIM-using basis;-Controlling of the design and construction stages with the benefit of data;-Receiving and operating both real and virtual assets;-Learning where BIM is going next.A must-have for public and private clients of all sorts - whether occasional or regular, facility managers, asset managers or developers - as well as client advisors, architects, project managers, contractors and others working on their behalf.

Have you ever wondered what designers and builders really think about their clients, or why it matters? David Skuodas spent the past several years asking vendors in the construction industry the following question: "Why does it matter to be a good client?" Skuodas interviewed over 50 consultants, contractors, and client project managers about this topic. He asked them what differentiates a good client from a bad client, and how the client affects the cost, schedule, and quality of a project. He also asked vendors what conditions allow them to do their best work, and conversely, what might an owner do that makes it difficult for vendors to do their jobs effectively? This book allows you to peek behind the curtain and find out how designers and builders really differentiate between good and bad clients. You will learn how client behavior affects the price and quality of work - and even how designers and builders choose their clients. That's right, just because you have a project to bid doesn't anybody has to bid it. This book offers practical advice on how you can improve your standing with designers and builders so you can become a client of choice. Make no mistake: owners are in competition with each other for a very limited pool of capable designers and builders. Being a desirable customer is smart business, this book will show you how.

Construction Business Development is the first book to provide an insight into business development strategies, tools and techniques in construction. This edited text combines academic research with the broad industrial experience of construction business development professionals and marketing consultants. It uses illustrations and case studies in addressing current and future challenges and opportunities in a highly competitive business environment. This practical book will help construction managers learn how to turn clients into loyal customers.

This work explains the principles and theories of project management and how and when the different project management techniques can be applied. Based on the author's own experience and knowledge, this text has been endorsed by the Association for Project Management.

Being a client on a construction project can be incredibly complex and demanding but ultimately rewarding once your ambitions are fulfilled. This comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ will help you to achieve that magic combination of quality and efficiency, guiding you through the entire project lifecycle, from briefing to taking delivery and beyond. It will help you to better understand the project process, the client’s role within it and, critically, how to be successful and effective by advising you on; the key milestones in the project process and your legal responsibilities at each stage achieving cost-effectiveness, efficiency and meeting project timelines key client issues such as funding and investment straightforward best practice advice and how to avoid common problems insightful tips from clients reflecting on their experiences handy tools including a project route map, project decision checklist and diary of a development

This book breaks new ground by creating a framework to understand clients’ actions and needs. Most construction management books focus on improving the construction process; this one focuses on a better engagement with the client. It challenges conceptions of both the construction industry and clients’ businesses so that a more effective process and greater client satisfaction can be achieved. The book suggests that ‘buildings are not about building but about changing and developing the client’. The technical, organisational and psychological aspects of this are described and analysed in detail so that current experience can be explained and better practice determined. The book offers well-researched information about clients in a number of sectors - developers, supermarkets, NHS, government, airports and housing associations - which will help you understand what these client’s business or service needs are and how construction fits into this. It demonstrates how to develop an appreciation of the client’s perspective with a toolkit for ensuring successful client engagement. This makes Understanding the Construction Client a user-friendly and practical guide, as well as significant text for academia.