Abstract

Eadie et.al (2007) show that there are many advantages in the adoption of eprocurementwithin a construction organisation. However, its uptake within the construction industry has been inadequately researched. Martin (2003, 2008) investigated e-procurement use across the United Kingdom from the standpoint of quantity surveying organisations. This left a knowledge gap in the published literature regarding the use of e-procurement in other disciplines within construction. This paper seeks to address this issue. Martin (2003, 2008) does not seek to identify the sizes or spend on procurement activities by those quantity surveying organisations who have adopted the use of e-procurement. This paper investigates the correlations between size, procurement spend and adoption of e-procurement.The survey was conducted in two parts: the initial survey looked at 70 contractors in Northern Ireland which had carried out e-procurement. This was followed by the mainsurvey, which contained a telephone survey and was followed by a web-based survey.The telephone survey of 775 organisations identified the amount of e-procurement inconstruction within the United Kingdom. This was followed by a web-basedquestionnaire survey of the identified organisations on e-procurement for constructionbased activities. These produced a breakdown of e-procurement use and spend onpricing documentation completion across the construction industry.