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Nunn's Partnering Guidelines

What Is Partnering?

Partnering is defined as a team (Owner, Architect/Engineer, User, and Contractor) building process that creates mutual trust and respect for one anothers respective roles to create an environment where trust and teamwork prevents disputes, fosters a cooperative bond to everyone's benefit, and facilitates the completion of a successful project.

Redirection of energies to focus on the real issues associated with achieving all team members ultimate objectives.

Key Elements of Partnering

Commitment - Commitment to Partnering must come from top management.
Equity - All team members interests are considered in creating mutual goals and there is a commitment to satisfying each team member's requirement for a successful project by utilizing win/win thinking.
Trust - Teamwork is not possible where there is cynicism about the other's motives. Through the development of personal relationships and communication about each team members risks and goals, there is a better understanding. With understanding comes trust and with trust comes the possibility of better working relationships.
Development of Mutual Goals/Objectives - At a Partnering Workshop the team members identify all respective goals for the project in which their interests overlap.
Implementation - Team members together develop strategies for implementing their mutual goals and the mechanism for solving problems.

Timely Responsiveness - Timely communication and decision making will save not only money, but keep problems from growing into a dispute as well.

Partnering Benefits

Empowers the project personnel with the freedom and authority to accept responsibility to do their jobs by encouraging decision making and problem solving at the lowest possible level of authority.
Encourages everyone to take pride in their efforts and tells them it's okay to get along with each other.
Reduce exposure to litigation through open communication.
Lower risk of cost overruns and delays because of better time and cost control over a project.
Higher level of quality due to energies being focused on the ultimate goal of construction and not misdirected to adversarial concerns.
More open communication and unfiltered information, allowing for more efficient resolution of problems.
Lower administrative costs because of elimination of defensive case building.
Increased opportunity for innovation through open communication and element of trust, especially during value engineering changes and constructability improvements.
Increased opportunity for a financially successful project due to non-adversarial win/win attitudes.

Partnering Challenges

Partnering requires that all team members buy into the concept. The concept is endangered if there is not a true commitment.
Those conditioned in an adversarial environment may be uncomfortable with the perceived risk in trusting.
Win/win thinking is an essential element for the success of the process. For some, changing the myopic thinking that it is necessary to win every battle, every day, at the other team members expense will be difficult.

Five Major Participants in the Design and Construction Phase:

Conceiver - The ultimate decision making force behind the entire program.
Translators - The parties that translate the project concept into construction documents.
Constructors - Those who build the project.
Operators - Those who operate the completed project.
Regulators - Those who help assure project adherence to the cause of public good.