ABSTRACT
Quality and price can be said to be the two main
criteria in selecting architects and engineers
(Kirmani & Baum 1992, Latham 1994, World
Bank 1997). Criteria to evaluate quality typically
include the architects’ and engineers’ relevant
experience, the methodology proposed, and the
qualifications of the key personnel (World Bank
1997). Both price and non-price criteria can thus
be viewed as relevant parameters for assessment of
construction-related service providers. An obvious
logic behind using multiple criteria in this context
is that a price focus does not guarantee the overall
lowest project cost upon project completion (Wong
et al. 2001), nor the lowest cost during the life-cycle
of a building (Christodoulou et al. 2004). In addi-
tion, a focus on lowest price may not provide best
quality or the highest satisfaction among clients
(Ling 2004). However, in traditional public sector
procurement the award of contracts is not unusu-
ally based merely on a comparison of tender prices
(Palaneeswaran et al. 2003). According to Christo-
doulou et al. (2004) this is also a common method
of choice for the procuring of construction design
services in the public sector. Similarly, in a study
carried out by Pottinger (1998) representatives
from both the private and the public sector clearly
viewed public sector clients as more focused on
price than private sector clients.
