Disputes cost the construction industry millions of dollars each year. Project schedules are extended, money is unnecessarily spent and opportunities are lost. Partnering offers project owners, architect-engineers, construction managers, contractors, and subcontractors a cooperative, team-based approach to eliminate – or at least reduce – conflicts, litigation, and claims. This page lists various resources to support your partnering efforts

What is Partnering

Partnering is a formal management process in which all parties (stakeholders) to a project voluntarily develop and agree to a set of project goals and a method of dispute resolution. This is accomplished during a one or two day facilitated partnering workshop.

The partners include all stakeholders – that is, anyone who can impact the project. The partnering team consists of one or more representatives from each stakeholder group involved in the current phase of the project. Team membership changes as the project progresses, with members dropping out and new ones being added.

The workshop consists of facilitated team and skill building activities, leading to project-specific issue identification and establishment of specific action steps to deal with each issue. By establishing a positive approach to problem resolution early in the project, the typical "finger pointing" is reduced, if not eliminated entirely. The workshop concludes with the development of a project dispute resolution process.

A facilitator provides the "glue" that holds the partnering process together and keeps it on track. With skills in team building, group dynamics, and problem solving, and with no vested interest in the decisions made by the partnering team, the facilitator keeps the focus on maintaining a cooperative working relationship. Funding for the facilitator is usually shared by the Owner and Contractor.

Why does it work?

Partnering breaks down the old adversarial attitudes, replacing them with a sense of mutual accountability and trust. Team members realize that teamwork and collaborative problem solving is far superior to litigation. The partnering workshop gives the team members the skills in communication, problem solving, and negotiation that are necessary to avoid and resolve disputes.

Resources

International Partnering Institute

The International Partnering Institute (IPI) was founded in 1996 and is now a non-profit corporation. We seek out lessons learned and best practices to capture partnering concepts and techniques that develop high trust relationships and organizational cultures for the delivery of construction projects, and then provide education and certification in those concepts and techniques. Go to the IPI website.

California Department of Transportation Partnering Program

Caltrans and the Construction Industry are committed to making partnering the way we do business. Partnering promotes open and honest communication, trust, understanding and teamwork. The field guide is written for both Caltrans and contractor personnel working at the project level to convey Caltrans and industry commitment to partnering, to define responsibilities for partnering, and to provide tools for successful partnering. Go to the Caltrans Partnering website.

Arizona Department of Transportation Partnering Program

Partnering is a process of collaborative teamwork. It allows groups to achieve measurable results through agreements and productive working relationships. This process provides structure for teams to establish a mission by using common goals and shared objectives. In addition, ADOT's Partnering program provides feedback to project teams through the Partnering Evaluation Program (PEP) software. Go to ADOT's Partnering website.

Nevada Department of Transportation

To formalize an already-strong working relationship and most efficiently build Nevada’s needed transportation infrastructure, NDOT and the contracting community have jointly instituted a partnering program. The partnering program is a structured process to help avoid and resolve potential construction-related conflicts and delays. The program has four major components which will be enacted through professional partnering facilitators on all NDOT projects over $10 million (recommended for projects between $1 and $10 million Go to NDOT's Partnering website.

Construction Industry Institute

The Construction Industry Institute, based at The University of Texas at Austin, is a consortium of more than 100 leading owner, engineering-contractor, and supplier firms from both the public and private arenas. These organizations have joined together to enhance the business effectiveness and sustainability of the capital facility life cycle through CII research, related initiatives, and industry alliances. Go to CII's Partnering website

Marvin M. Black Partnering Award

Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Awards Named for AGC's 1991 President Marvin M. Black – an ardent supporter of the partnering process–the Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering Awards recognize the successful partnerships and collaborations that work to improve construction projects. Go to AGC's website.