HOLLOWING-OUT AND PROGRESS OF CONSTRUCTION ELEMENT TECHNOLOGY OF PRIME CONTRACTORS

Abstract

 Public works for infrastructure are classified into three kinds of works: government-led, directly managed, and labor-divided works. In all kinds of works, construction requires construction management and element technologies. Since the rapid economic growth period, public works have changed from directly managed ones to labor-divided ones, through subcontracting agreements between prime contractors and subcontractors. In this process, the construction element technologies owned by prime contractors were transferred to subcontractors, developing a labor-divided system in which prime contractors have construction management technologies, while subcontractors have construction element technologies. This study clarifies the actual situations and timings of the degradation (hollowing-out) of construction element technologies of prime contractors and the transfer of the technologies to subcontractors, and the fact that the hollowing-out is still progressing, through analyses, including questionnaire surveys.