Drivers of Engineering Procurement and Construction Model Adoption Behavior by Public Construction Owners in China

Abstract

The promotion of the EPC model in public construction projects is a priority for reform in the Chinese construction industry. This study integrates the push–pull–mooring (PPM) model with the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework to explore the influencing factors and action mechanisms of adopting the EPC model of the owners of public construction projects in China. An online questionnaire was sent to public construction project owners who have participated in EPC projects. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the survey data. The results identified that the push factors for public construction project owners to the adoption of the EPC model include owners’ management ability, owner’s knowledge about EPC, and the matching degree between the owner’s management philosophy and EPC model; the pull factor is the performance pressure of the project; and the mooring factors include subjective norms, the maturity degree of the EPC, and the support environment. In addition, perceived usefulness, cognitive, and adoption attitude play a mediating role in the relationship between external stimuli and adoption behavior. Overall, this study enhances the understanding of Chinese public project owners’ behavior in adopting the EPC model and provides a theoretical basis for policy recommendations to promote the adoption of the EPC model by public construction project owners in China.