Effect of competency and communication on project outcomes in cities in China

• The competency of contractors affects more project outcomes than the competency of consultants.
• There is a need to select consultants with superior market knowledge, problem solving ability and technical capabilities.
• Contractors' superior market knowledge affects schedule and quality performance, and satisfaction of stakeholders.

The aim of this research is to examine how the competency of contractors and consultants (hard skills) and communication among project team members (soft skills) affect project outcomes, in terms of cost, time, quality and satisfaction in China's cities. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected through face-to-face interviews and e-mails. The results show that the competency of contractors has more significant correlations with project outcomes than the competency of consultants, suggesting that it is far more important to engage competent contractors. The competency of consultants in terms of having superior market knowledge, problem solving ability and technical capability are significantly correlated with clients' satisfaction with the service that consultants provide, and not much else. The finding shows that contractors' superior market knowledge is significantly correlated with schedule and quality performance, satisfaction of clients and consultants with them, and end user satisfaction with the built facility. Their technical knowledge and capability are also significantly correlated with satisfaction. Communication is found to play an important role in schedule and quality performance, and end user satisfaction. As contractors' competency plays a more important role than consultants' competency in bringing about superior project outcomes, it is recommended that clients spend more time and effort in the selection of contractors than consultants if they have limited time. They should engage highly reputable contractors as they are more likely to bring about good project outcomes. During project implementation, the soft skill of communication should also be practised to boost project outcomes.