Increasing Role of Privatization in Engineering and Construction

This paper summarizes research that was undertaken to investigate the role of privatization as it is viewed by members of the construction and engineering industries. Several aspects of privatization are covered, including privatization issues, a history of privatization, objectives of privatization, international issues in privatization, national competitiveness and future trends in privatization, interview summary and results, and a discussion on the segments of the infrastructure that are implementing privatization policies. The information provided is based on research related to privatization that included an exploration of existing literature related to privatization; extensive personal interviews with executives from owner organizations, contractors, construction managers, engineers, and government agencies throughout the United States; and information gathered from a symposium and workshops held in Scottsdale, Ariz. The research was sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute (CII). The CII Construction 2000 Task Force assisted with setting up the industrial and government interviews. The research included participation by personnel from both CII member companies, nonCII companies, professional societies, academic institutions, and government agencies.