Could the NEC be widely used in New Zealand?

One of the major changes in the UK construction industry in recent years has been wide adoption of the NEC suite of contracts. The aim of this research was to investigate whether the drivers for change to the NEC are currently present in New Zealand, along with investigation of the value the NEC is likely to add and the factors that will influence the NEC’s wider adoption. Senior construction industry players (including clients, consultants and contractors) were surveyed to investigate these research aims. A combination of in-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken initially, followed by an internet-based survey to seek wider consensus on the thoughts, ideas and opinions of the interviewed research sample. The research found that the drivers for change to facilitate the adoption of the NEC are currently not significant in New Zealand construction. The study demonstrated that industry players generally believe the features and principles of the NEC would be beneficial, with project experiences for the most part confirming support for the contract. The conclusion reached by this research is that for wider adoption of the NEC to ‘add value’ within New Zealand construction, improvements in project management and procurement practices will be required.