To address the complexity of major industrial projects, collaborative extended enterprise setups or even contractual alliances are implemented. They often fail to deliver the expected value or performance. We have found that a number of precautions including the involvement of a neutral third party from the onset are useful success factors. Our new White Paper 2023-09 ‘the Importance of an Independent Facilitator When Setting up Integrated Extended Enterprise Teams for Complex Infrastructure Projects’ details this particular approach to extended enterprise setups.

Large industrial projects, and particularly innovative, first-of-a-kind projects that also show a high level of equipment density, involve a number of specialist contractors in a very intertwined manner. Design and then execution requires a very high level of collaboration. This is even more the case if numerous iteration loops are needed during design, and if multi-disciplinary coordination is needed for erection.

Various opportunities can be identified to improve collaboration effectiveness, which are listed in the White Paper.

Responding to the complexity-challenge of large industrial projects is a major success factor. Various collaborative setups have been tested but have shown limitations.

We are convinced that a key to success is the involvement of a neutral facilitator from the onset. This is definitely a trend in contract management with independent engineers or dispute boards being called upon in FIDIC and NEC contract forms.

The neutral party needs to be mobilised from the start of the project and follow it up to be effective. It will allow to address issues before they fester and even before they become claims. It can raise concerns at the governance / steering committee level.

Based on our experience and track record, the intervention of a neutral party to facilitate and assure collaboration during the project is an essential success factor that is increasingly promoted in construction contract management and needs to be used with more frequency. This should be deployed more often and from the setup of the project. Discover more in our new White Paper 2023-09 ‘the Importance of an Independent Facilitator When Setting up Integrated Extended Enterprise Teams for Complex Infrastructure Projects’.

If you can’t access the link to the white paper, copy and paste the following link in your browser: https://www.projectvaluedelivery.com/_library/2023-09_setting_up_integrated_collaborative_v0.pdf