Construction Believes in Collaboration – so Why Isn’t It Practising It?

Why It Matters

The gap between proven collaborative benefits and entrenched adversarial contracts hampers project efficiency and inflates legal risk, making client leadership crucial for industry-wide transformation.

Key Takeaways

• 83% say trust critical for project success across five markets
• 70% still use traditional contracts despite proven collaborative benefits
• Only 27% UK professionals have worked on collaborative contracts
• Early‑career UK staff see few organisations embracing collaboration
• Clients identified as primary driver for adopting collaborative contracting

Pulse Analysis

The construction sector has long touted collaborative contracting as a pathway to faster, lower‑risk projects, yet adoption remains uneven. The recent OnePoll survey, commissioned by NEC Contracts, quantifies that a striking 74% of practitioners see delivery times improve and 71% note fewer legal disputes when using collaborative frameworks. These figures reinforce a growing body of evidence that trust‑based agreements can deliver measurable cost and schedule savings, positioning them as a strategic lever for owners seeking resilient supply chains.

In the United Kingdom, the data paints a sobering picture. Only 27% of surveyed UK professionals have participated in collaborative contracts, and one‑fifth admit they have never heard of the model—a stark contrast to Hong Kong’s 40% participation rate. The disparity is most pronounced among early‑career workers, with 53% reporting that few organisations prioritize collaboration. This generational gap suggests that entrenched adversarial practices are still shaping the next wave of talent, potentially perpetuating inefficiencies and higher dispute rates.

Across all five markets, clients emerge as the decisive catalyst for change. Where owners explicitly mandate collaborative contracts—such as on major UK infrastructure programmes or Singapore’s public‑sector projects—the approach cascades through the supply chain, normalising trust‑centric relationships. For the industry to close the practice gap, client leadership must extend beyond flagship initiatives, embedding collaborative standards into routine procurement. Doing so could unlock faster delivery, reduced litigation, and a more attractive environment for emerging professionals, ultimately reshaping construction’s competitive landscape.