Collaboration and relationships in Nordic Infrastructure project networks

Paper in proceeding, 2020

Since the turn of the millennium, project planners have tried reducing the adversity commonly seen in infrastructure construction projects by employing collaborative project management models, such as alliancing, early contractor involvement, or partnering. In the public sphere these models are utilised with the hope that public funds would be used efficiently to meet the needs of society through well-executed projects. One of the major drivers for these expectations is the practice inherent in the models of early-stage collaboration between all involved actors, e.g. client, design consultant, and contractor, which opens up the opportunity to focus more on intangible metrics, such as life-cycle perspectives, sustainability and societal good: factors that have recently become more significant through societal demands. In the Nordic countries, several different models are currently being applied in practice.
Employing a project network perspective, we look at two infrastructure projects, employing collaborative project management models in the Nordic countries and study the expectations on collaboration models as well as the actual collaboration between the different actors in these project models. The empirical evidence, consisting of 41 semi-structured interviews, points to a discrepancy in the application of collaborative project management models as well as changing actor roles in the project network. There seem to be clear benefits realised through employing such models, such as time savings and resource use reduction, but as the benefits depend on the changing roles, it is uncertain if the projects will realise these. Results indicate a collective interest to produce a common good in all involved actors, i.e. a wellfunctioning, qualitative infrastructure project, while simultaneously highlighting the
discrepancy between expectations and actions.