Integrated policy delivery in Norway – the client’s perspective on challenges

The purpose of the paper is to identify and understand the clients’ motives for choosing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) as a Project Delivery Model (PDM) and their experiences of the challenges in adopting it in Norway. This is an overlooked perspective as most studies focus on general benefits and barriers to IPD. The paper draws upon interviews with client representatives. The study reveals six recurring challenges across the projects: diverse motivations for choosing IPD, the necessity of enthusiasts to drive adoption, the challenge of convincing decision-makers that the public procurement regulations are not a showstopper, that agreeing on target prices can be hard and potentially lead to project collapse and that decision making within the IPD framework can be challenging. The findings show that the rationale for adopting IPD is based on a complex interplay of factors. We conclude by arguing that while enthusiasm is a powerful catalyst for IPD adoption, it must be balanced with rational decision making and a clear understanding of project-specific circumstances.