Pursuing alignment of clients' and contractors' perceptions of client satisfaction in Saudi Arabian projects

Purpose The study explored the disparity between construction clients and contractors on what constitutes “client satisfaction”. Such disparity is important because it can lead to different conclusions and thus disagreement on the assessment of project success. Design/methodology/approach The philosophical stance was interpretivism, thus the qualitative methodology was adopted. Employing purposive sampling, 30 interviews with clients and another 30 interviews with contractors were conducted in Saudi Arabia. The data obtained were evaluated by thematic analysis. Findings The results indicate differences in the consensus ad idem (meeting of the minds) between clients and contractors in terms of both their perceptions and prioritisation of the attributes that underpin client satisfaction. For example, some contractors thought that using advanced technologies was very important for client satisfaction, whereas some clients preferred the contractors to be honest with them. Research limitations/implications The data collection was limited to Saudi Arabia and only the views of clients and contractors were studied, thereby limiting the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications The identification of the differing priorities of clients and contractors on client satisfaction provides an informed basis to make more concerted efforts to satisfy clients and minimise disputes on projects in Saudi Arabia. Originality/value The study contrasted the views of clients and contractors simultaneously on the subject matter of client satisfaction in relation to project success, and analysed this through the lens of consensus ad idem. The key influences on clients' satisfaction in Saudi Arabia are also presented.