BIDDING CONSIDERATIONS IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES

Developing countries pose greater challenges to international construc tion contractors because of inherent risks such as government instabil ity, shortages of adequately trained craftsmen, difficulty in acquirin g needed materials, and lack of adequate infrastructure such as roads, bridges, harbors, and power generation facilities. The international construction market is continuously growing, and there are many opport unities for U.S. contractors to obtain additional work and improve pro fits. This paper describes characteristics of developing countries tha t should be of interest to any contractor considering projects in thes e parts of the world. Additionally, results from a study identify the top information requirements in 15 key areas, which architectural, eng ineering, and construction (AEC) firms identified. A discussion of cha racteristics of the construction environment in Kenya is provided as a n example of bidding considerations in a typical developing country.