Insights from a project procurement strategy through an action research.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of selecting an appropriate procurement method most suitable to the specificities of a building retrofitting project. The relevant literature points to the difficulties in managing design errors and mistakes in the conception phase and their negative impact on the construction phase and, ultimately, on construction project development. The regulatory framework related to these issues exists but the problems persist, alongside the absence of regulation in the project manager's functions. General contracting is the procurement method mostly used but has its caveats, particularly in risky and complex construction projects. This study adopts a Participatory Action Research methodology to describe all the procedures and decision making during the project development process, including the evaluation of the tenders and the ensuing competitive negotiation process. The results of the study show the importance of a design consultant with skills base and experience in procurement in the process of construction project development. The competitive negotiation process allowed to a final contract price that was lower than the initial best offer. Furthermore, a revised structural project design undertaken under the responsibility of the contractor increased the quality of the project design in comparison with the initial one. The results also show some adjustments in procurement method along the procurement process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]