Proposing and Exploring Integrated Trade Delivery as a New Project Delivery Method: Assessing the Drivers and Barriers to Its Implementation in Construction Projects

The construction industry is evolving in how it incorporates construction teams into the planning and design phases, where integrated delivery methods have attracted recent interest due to their various advantages. This paper introduces a new integrated delivery approach, referred to as integrated trade delivery (ITD), that further expands the principles of integrated project delivery (IPD). The ITD model goes beyond IPD by mandating the integration of major trade partners and/or subcontractors to the multiparty agreement and as part of the shared risk and reward framework. Although existing research provided valuable insights into IPD, this paper proposes and explores ITD as a new project delivery method. First, 20 drivers and 20 barriers of ITD were identified. Second, a survey was distributed to assess the likelihood of occurrence and the relative impact of the drivers and barriers. Third, the criticality of each driver and barrier was quantified. Fourth, a statistical analysis was conducted to compare the alignments among various project participant groups. The results showed that the top five drivers to ITD are (1) competent project participants through qualification-based selection; (2) expertise, knowledge, and skill sharing; (3) improved constructability; (4) early involvement of key project participants; and (5) positive working environment and team behavior. The findings also indicated that the top five barriers to ITD are: (1) opposing goals and interests between project participants; (2) uncertainty in project planning and design; (3) financial and cash flow risks due to huge investments and late profits; (4) lack of appropriate distribution of incentive and compensation plans; and (5) involvement of several participants. This study adds to the body of knowledge by being the first research to propose and explore the ITD concept and analyze its drivers and barriers. The findings are expected to inspire further research and practice in this novel area of ITD.