Application of partnering concepts on small construction projects by owners
or government functionaries could result in substantial savings for privat
e owners and public exchequers annually. This paper develops a concept for
partnering for small construction projects based on recent management resea
rch and theories being developed in universities with the lessons learned f
rom the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers experiences on partnering for large pr
ojects. The discussion addresses current attitudes toward partnering, parti
cularly, in small (i.e., up to $3,000,000) private or government sponsored
projects. An objective of this paper is to share the benefits of partnering
on small construction projects, based on practices and experiences of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A final objective is to develop a primer for
construction practitioners.