Contracting firms' perspectives in relation to supply chain management applications in Turkish construction industry

Construction industry has a significant potential in the economic development of each country. Construction industry including; materials, machinery, technology and mainly, human resources, is a complex and an important industry. In general, construction industry is characterized with high fragmentation, low productivity, cost and time overruns conflicts and disputes. This is due to the physical structure of the resulting product, the structure of the industry and the organization of the construction process. Supply Chain Management deals with the management of materials and information resources across a network of organizations that are involved in the design and production process. In recent decades, supply chain management as an innovative management approach has become a fundamental element in the construction and project management to improving the efficiency and productivity of construction projects. This research focuses on exploration and investigation of the barriers against supply chain management application and also the critical success factors and the expected benefits of this application by Turkish construction contractors companies. A questionnaire form in order to collect data was formed and distributed to 104 main contractors that operated in construction sector in different regions of Turkey. Hypothesis testing and factor analysis were performed. Findings show that supply chain approach in Turkish construction sector has some cultural and technological problems. Future studies which focus on either modeling a suitable management system or application of information technology in supply chain management will be beneficial for the sector. Key Words: Construction Sector, Supply Chain Management, Supplier and Sub- contractor Selection, Construction and Project Management, Material management.