Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of Contracts on Information Management in AEC Projects

Project information management in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) projects can be a challenging endeavor due to the complex nature of projects and the numerous sources and types of information required, including drawings, plans, specifications, and building information modeling (BIM), among others. AEC projects require stakeholders to develop temporary teams, develop work processes, and collaborate across organizational boundaries. Additionally, the numerous technologies used in information management, such as project management software, scheduling software, and BIM, require contractual agreements among project stakeholders to address these technologies’ potential risks while still allowing stakeholder collaboration to benefit project execution and delivery. Contracts are used to define project requirements and can be used to define different aspects of project information management, like required deliverables or stakeholder roles and responsibilities. While recent research has evaluated the relationship between BIM and contracts, there is a gap in understanding the relationship between contracts and information management more holistically. The objectives of this research were to gain insight into how contracts impact information management, identify barriers that exist in contracts related to information management, and to develop potential contract-related strategies to improve information management on AEC projects. Researchers implemented a qualitative analysis approach through semistructured interviews with 38 AEC professionals and the application of a systematic and iterative qualitative coding process. This research found that contracts can be used as a tool to influence the development and execution of project information management strategies. Specifically, contracts can be used to define deliverables, workflows, and software, as well as templates and forms. While interviewees discussed many contract-related challenges, they also proposed potential contract-related strategies to improve project information management. These strategies encompass three main categories: improving contract compliance, contract flexibility, and setting expectations. These findings provide insight into how contracts can impact project information management and provide practitioners with specific contract strategies to improve project information management.