Contractors' supplier management: construction materials supply chain management

Within the total quality management (TQM) philosophy of continuous improvement, adding greater value, improving quality, reducing costs and reducing construction schedules are no longer mutually exclusive customer requirements. These demands are forcing changes in management approaches in the construction industry. It is now recognised that such gains in efficiency cannot be achieved by companies acting independently. This awareness has drawn attention to the concepts of `supply chain management`. Findings of research performed to investigate materials supply chain management practices by the top UK contractors are reported. While there is evidence pointing to a trend towards supply chain integration, it is revealed that entrenched practices and attitudes among UK contractors still impede full supply chain integration in the supply of construction materials.