Assessing Materials Vendor Selection in Construction Project Supply Chain: The Relative Importance Index Approach

Authors

  • Nsikan Efiok John Business Management, Covenant University, Ota-Ogun State, Nigeria
  • Peter Nwaguru Project Management, European Global School-University, Paris- France
  • Akpan James Williams Business Management, University of Uyo, Uyo- Nigeria

Keywords:

Construction project management; Relative importance index; Construction supply chain management; Sustainable vendor selection; supplier selection.

Abstract

By selecting the right material vendor, the risk of project failure, delays, stakeholder disputes, and budget-overrun can be avoided. However, little is known of the preferred construction vendor selection criteria and the priority placed on them by construction project managers. To fill this gap, this study explored the specific criteria used in selecting construction project vendors and determined the relative importance placed on the selection criteria. Primary data were collected using the structured questionnaire from 71 randomly-selected on-site construction project managers and engineers. Data analysis was carried out using weighted mean scores. They were then ranked according to their priority using the Relative Importance Index (RII). The results reveals that 22 criteria, grouped into four dimensions: capability, quality, costs, and sustainability were the most important criteria for selecting construction project vendors. In practice, these result implies that supplier capacity, supplier quality, supplier costs, and supplier sustainability selection variables are important sources of effective construction project management. This study adds value to existing knowledge because the selection of construction project suppliers can now be achieved by utilizing the relative importance index approach as demonstrated in this paper.

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Published

2022-12-31