Partners in maintenance—Possibilities in using partnering-based maintenance contracts for Swedish railway

Abstract

Traditionally, procurement of maintenance has been based on fixed price on defined work. These types of contract forms can lead to negotiations on everything not included in the price, which may result in delays and a sense of distrust when all parties primarily look after themselves. Recently, forms for cooperation based on mutual trust and fairness for all parties have been developed; partnering. Partnering is characterized by common objectives and project organization, and risk analysis. The project is created and operated in cooperation with customers, contractors, suppliers and consultants. Transparency is a cornerstone of partnering and openness is what mainly differentiates partnering from traditional contractor projects. The Swedish railway uses traditional and very detailed contracting principles. This leads to several problems, such as lack of information and knowledge transfer between parties and life cycle phases, and no incentives for quality and productivity improvements. Is applying the concept of partnering for railway maintenance a solution to these problems? If so, why is the concept not already commonly applied and what are the barriers? This paper introduces the concept of partnering and reviews current research within the area. Thereafter, the possibilities in using partnering-based maintenance in Swedish railway are discussed.