Process for Optimizing the Selection of Construction Subcontractors Using the AHP Technique

Subcontractors develop around 90% of all items in a construction project, hence the success of the project depends largely on their performance. For this reason, its proper choice is essential; however, in many cases, this process is based on a single criterion: cost. In many projects, the performance of the subcontractors is not always the most expected, resulting in delays, additions and mainly rework without a change in the scope of the outsourced activities. Therefore, the use of the new multi-criterion selection techniques is essential to optimize the selection process. The present research adopts the Analytic Hierarchy Process - AHP, the technique in multi-family building construction projects, since it seeks to optimize the subcontractor selection process based on more than one criterion such as quality, cost, lead time and financial stability through schematization, hierarchy, and formulation of a mathematical model, to be able to choose the most efficient subcontractor for the selected item, complying with the expected standards. The results provide that the subcontractor chosen by the AHP technique improves the performance of the project.