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Management of Preconstruction Using Lean: An Exploratory Study of the Bidding Process

The study of office-related activities and their management in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has been overlooked in the construction management literature. With that in mind, the authors of the present paper call attention to the need to manage information and shield projects from variation starting from the initial stages when service providers are chosen in projects where competitive bidding is used. The nurturing proposition of this paper is that regardless of the project delivery method being used, Lean Construction concepts can be used to shield projects against risk and unintended variation brought to projects due to the nature of the competitive bidding process. The paper presents a series of practical examples of how preconstruction office activities and documents are often handled in the AEC and discusses these examples vis-a-vis Lean Construction concepts and practices aiming to promote continuous flow. This exploratory study illustrates how the use of lean techniques in the bidding phase might facilitate the screening of subcontractors in hard bid environments, and contribute to reducing project risk and uncertainty, regardless of the delivery method. The paper concludes with practical recommendations regarding the management of bidding activities and topics that merit further investigation.