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The research investigation followed a 'linear-analysis structure', the study commencing with an introduction of the construction industry in relation to its importance to the UK national economy and its geographic, employment and market activities. This was followed by a discussion on the client/contractor relationship existing within this industry and the need to move from the traditional, often adversarial "master/servant" relationship to a more collaborative arrangement through the use of supply chain partnering. An initial literature review provided a detailed understanding of the partnering approach, specifically that being used by contractors and clients on UK construction projects. The research investigated the importance of supply chain management in the UK construction industry and provided an understanding of how the move to a closer working relationship between primary supply chain members can provide benefits for both client and contractor organisations alike. Drawing on the various aspects of the construction industry literature review resulted in the production of the researcher's first model based on a representation of a building project. This model developed as the literature review was undertaken and contributed to the research by providing an illustration of the range of factors that appear to be important in establishing a partnering arrangement in the UK construction industry. This literature review focused mainly on the UK construction industry but also included retail, automobile assembly and manufacturing industries together with the reported partnering experiences from the Australian and the USA construction industries. The researcher's second model became the catalyst in the formulation of the research question and in turn proposed that continuous improvement and measurement were key factors which can contribute through the role of total quality management to benefit supply chain partnering. The composition of the researcher's models were tested by the field research undertaken with two main construction companies together with input from a major 'blue-chip' client organization. Confidence in the investigation findings has been gained during the research period through a convergence of multiple sources of data including both the literature and the field research in the form of documentation, archival records, direct observation, participant observation and physical artefacts from published and unpublished sources. A case study methodology was employed to examine if 'the construction industry is benefiting from the establishment of partnering relationships with quantifiable evidence to support the commitment to continuous improvement'. The research revealed that there are differing levels of experience and progress on the 'partnering journey' when the practical experience is compared with the theoretical view obtained from the literature reviews. Even the two case study companies, regarded as being at the vanguard of this concept, have still to fully embrace all the partnering concepts, particularly the use of target setting, performance measurement and continuous improvement. Whilst the research discusses the growing trend for contractors and clients to embark on project and strategic relationships it found that commitment to three key themes - mutual objectives, problem resolution and a commitment to continuous improvement - is in many cases limited to establishing the objectives at the first workshop and very little beyond. This is not to criticise the progress and benefits that the partnering approach has made for the industry but merely to note that this is not an easy option and requires constant attention by senior, strategic champions within both organisations to maintain the momentum and gain maximum benefits. From the study undertaken a number of specific findings are discussed covering the items that are considered to be the critical success factors for commencing and building a successful partnering relationship. The main conclusions are that: • Partnering relationship need to be built on "good foundations" which must include visible senior management support. • The selection of the construction companies with which clients may wish to enter a partnering arrangement needs to be undertaken with some knowledge of what the relationship will bring and expect in return. It requires "educated clients" who share the belief that partnering is a two-way agreement. • Partnering workshops are important features and should continue through the life of the project and/or partnering relationship. • The traditional adversarial construction industry management style and organisational behaviour needs to change to create an open forum for communication, trust and joint working. • The use of supply chain management, human resources management, project management and total quality management all have significant roles to play in the post contract award phase of the project. • The appointment of the 'right' project manager is especially important. It is proposed that the work undertaken provides an original contribution to knowledge through the synthesis of identifying supply chain developments in construction and other industries, through the fieldwork undertaken and from the resultant development and presentation of the researcher's two abstract models. The researcher therefore proposes that through the generation of these models the PhD award criteria covering 'original contribution' has been satisfied. The study ends with a small number of areas being identified for further research, one of these concerns the researcher's second model which has been developed further to show an evolution from partnering into prime contracting. This is considered to be a natural development for those companies with the necessary understanding and experience of collaborative working though the partnering process, although for those companies without the benefit of such experience, the move to prime contracting is expected to present a notable degree of challenge.