Reza Ghassemi

Major and Classification

Civil Engineering

Faculty Mentor

Burcin Becerik, D.Des

Department

Civil/ Environmental Engineering

McNair Project

“Transitioning to Integrated Project Delivery: Strategies to Overcome Barriers”

Project Abstract

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a new delivery method gaining momentum in the construction industry. IPD demands that parties from multiple disciplines work together and share information to maximize project results.  This integrated approach requires additional effort and presents several new challenges. These challenges include distribution of risks and rewards, insurance and liability allocation, cultural change, and technology limitations. Using semi-structured interviews with leading architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals, this study describes how successful projects have overcome the most prevalent barriers to implementing IPD. The findings reveal that successful IPD projects are achieved through the proper selection and involvement of all the main players as well as these main players having the required trust in each other. Moreover, successful IPD projects utilized contracts that clearly highlighted financial incentives that motivated participants to assume a stronger role in maximizing project results. This paper adds another dimension to the body of knowledge that exists in applying IPD by highlighting the common barriers that currently exist in implementing IPD as well as providing guidelines and recommendations to practitioners for overcoming these barriers.