Contracts and management for flexibility and knowledge integration in tunnel projects

Research Project, 2010 – 2014

In Sweden as well as internationally, large infrastructure projects have been especially prone to large cost increases, delays, quality problems and conflicts. In these projects, consequences of failure due to unforeseen ground conditions may be very important. Many tunnel projects are planned in Sweden for the coming decade, and there is a great need to find contracting and management models which make better use of project competences and allow for a greater flexibility in decision-making. Thereby, possibilities also increase for design to be adapted to geotechnical information that emerges successively during a project. In this research project, we will document and analyse decision processes, management principles, contracts, organizational processes and experiences from recently completed, ongoing and planned Swedish rock tunnel projects. International experiences are brought in through literature studies, participation in networks and study trips. The focus is on how *hard* contractual aspects interact with relationship-orientated leadership in shaping the conditions for inter-organizational collaboration under uncertainty.