Construction supply chain performance in mechanical and electrical contracts

Purpose The fragmented nature of the construction industry makes supply chain management even more challenging. Even though Mechanical and Engineering work can represent a significant part of a typical construction project and have a significant impact on the overall project's success, strategies for managing these unique supply chains remain under-researched. This research explored how generic construction supply chain management strategies could be used to leverage the performance of the Mechanical and Engineering supply chains. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain the views of construction professionals on the importance of seven key construction supply chain management strategies for the Mechanical and Engineering supply chain performance and the extent to which those strategies are visible within Mechanical and Engineering projects. Findings Selection Strategy, Communication, Site Coordination, Trust and Partnering agreements are the key generic strategies currently driving the performance of the M&E supply chain projects. Risk allocation and early design involvement strategies could be used to further improve M&E supply chain performance. Practical implications The results identified several factors considered critical to M&E supply chain performance but not currently being utilised to their full potential. This highlights opportunities for practitioners to implement targeted strategies to address these gaps in practice, thereby enhancing the overall performance of M&E supply chains. Originality/value This research contributed to the knowledge by investigating how to improve supply chain performance for an under-researched and important segment of the construction industry.