Selection of Building Contractor by Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

One of the key activities of any client is selection of appropriate contractor. Without a suitable method and technique for selecting the best contractor, the completion of a project will likely be affected. In this study, we examine the use of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) as a multi criteria decision making model for selection of appropriate contractor. This method can assist project management teams in identifying contractors who are most capable to deliver satisfactory outcomes in a selection process that is not based simply on the lowest bid. In this study, an AHP-based model is tested using a hypothetical scenario in which three contractors are evaluated. Six criteria for the primary objective are evaluated. These criteria’s are identified for contractor selection in the process, and the significance of each criterion is determined using a questionnaire survey. Comparisons are made by ranking the aggregate score of each contractor based on each criterion, and the contractor with the highest score is deemed the best. This study contributes to the construction sector in two ways: first, it extends the understanding of selection criteria to include degrees of importance, and second, it implements a multi-criteria AHP approach, which is a new method for analyzing and selecting the most appropriate contractor.