Read Journal 1701 – Vol 63 No 2 – The development of a framework to register, grade, and assess contractors’ performance

The construction sector plays a key role in the economic development of a country. The management of this sector is thus crucial in maximising both the performance of the sector and the economy. South Africa’s construction sector has some level of inefficiencies that could be improved to enhance the sector’s performance outputs. To achieve this, the study reviewed the literature on relevant key concepts and developed a questionnaire and framework using the
Analytical Hierarchy Process. In the study, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to key participants in the industry to establish whether there is a need to enhance the current registration, grading, and performance evaluation of contractors in the construction sector and to establish relevant criteria. The grading and performance assessment of contractors is a multi-criteria decision making process. This paper applied the Analytical Hierarchy Process to develop a framework
to register, grade, and assess the performance of contractors. From the 149 respondents, the results received from the questionnaires have revealed that improving the current contractor grading system, construction entry requirements, efficacy of the grading system, and efficacy of the grading and performance evaluation criteria may lead to enhanced contractor capabilities and project performance, which is the outcome variable. Thus, the paper proposes a system for registering, grading, and assessing the performance of contractors in the infrastructure construction sector.