33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) - Osaka and Kyoto, Japan - 2025

https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0143

Exploring IGLC Literature on Subcontracting

Gregory F. Saragih1, Rafael V. Coelho2, Richardus N. Kasih3, Wataru Kon4 & Iris D. Tommelein5

1MS Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0001-4698-3722
2PhD Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0003-3298-3622
3MS Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0001-9821-0481
4MS Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0009-2254-8089
5Distinguished Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Director, Project Production Systems Laboratory (P2SL), University of California, Berkeley, USA, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-9941-6596

Abstract

Subcontractors are essential to the delivery of many construction projects. However, current approaches to subcontracting are known to be disjointed, with systemic issues such as misaligned objectives among project stakeholders, fragmented workflows, and transactional relationships often limiting subcontractors’ contribution to project success. To support future research in this area, this paper explores how subcontracting has been discussed in selected IGLC literature, grouped into four themes to reflect subcontractors’ involvement across project stages: Selection, Engagement, Execution, and Evaluation. Within each theme, the paper offers reflections and poses open-ended questions that may help inform future studies into the role of subcontractors in Lean Construction. While acknowledging that the observations may not capture the full breadth of existing research, this paper offers preliminary insights into how subcontracting has been addressed in the IGLC literature and suggests opportunities for future study.

Keywords

Subcontracting, Lean Construction, collaboration, relational contracting, trade partners.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Saragih, G. F., Coelho, R. V., Kasih, R. N., Kon, W. & Tommelein, I. D.. (2025). Exploring IGLC Literature on Subcontracting. In Seppänen, O., Koskela, L., & Murata , K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 33) (pp. 117–128). https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0143

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Saragih, G. F., Coelho, R. V., Kasih, R. N., Kon, W. & Tommelein, I. D.. (2025). Exploring IGLC Literature on Subcontracting. IGLC33. https://doi.org/10.24928/2025/0143

 

Founded in 1993, the IGLC is an international network of researchers from practice and academia in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) who feel that the practice, education, and research of the AEC industry have to be radically renewed in order to respond to the global challenges ahead.

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