Customer Attraction in a Design-Build-Finance-Maintain-Operate Contract

In the Netherlands, large public customers use integrated contracts more and more often for complicated civil engineering and architectural works. Projects with integrated contracts such as Design, Build, Finance, Maintenance and Operate require tenderers to behave differently than they are accustomed to in traditional projects. This paper discusses the different requirements tenderers have to meet in terms of communication with their customers in order to create sufficient customer value in projects with integrated contracts. Customer value theories provide insight into the elements of these contracts that demand greater attention. Application of these elements in a case study shows that responsiveness, interaction moments and visualisation are the primary ‘soft elements’ that can bring about improvements in the communication with public customers.