Abstract

The procurement process is critical for construction companies. In order to improve it, many are resorting to e-marketplaces although they usually do not know exactly how much they can gain by doing so. This paper describes a study that quantified the benefits of using an e-marketplace to support the procurement process of a construction company. In this study, 25 construction companies were studied, all of which use Iconstruye, Chile's main e-marketplace in the construction industry. The research shows that the adoption of an e-marketplace reduces turnaround time, errors and urgent orders, and irregular purchases. In general, a more reliable procurement process directly contributes to a leaner construction process by reducing upstream variability, procurement cycle times and the need for large inventories on site. Users also perceive an improvement in certain global indicators when using an emarketplace.