Welcome to the first issue of Volume 6 of the Engineering Project Organization Journal (EPOJ). This issue highlights construction projects and some of the diverse issues that surround the successful delivery of these projects. From overall policy to contractual arrangements to the role of electronic files in the design process, the papers in this issue highlight the challenging issues that surround the modern construction project. The issue presents four papers that are diverse in their perspective on project development as well as their international origins. I hope you find the papers to be thought provoking in both their specific content and their breadth of topics within the project organization domain.
The first paper by Whyte, Lindkvist, and Jaradat addresses one of the long-term issues that surrounds the modern construction project. The paper addresses the continuing challenges associated with handing digital data over from the project design phase to the operations phase. Utilizing a relay race analogy, the paper illustrates the challenges of timing the handover to ensure accuracy and successful knowledge transfer. Continuing the focus on knowledge transfer and project development, the second paper in this issue by Van Amstel et al. looks closely at the role that boundary spanners play in project teams. Building on a topic that is established within the EPOS community, the paper looks at the value of boundary spanning in projects. Using an innovative gaming approach with students, the paper demonstrates the value of including the boundary spanner concept in a project development effort.
The third paper in this issue by Edkins and Smyth continues the focus on projects, but moves to a broader focus to examine public–private partnerships. Specifically, the paper examines the business and marketing aspects of proposing public–private partnership projects. Expanding from the traditional bid management literature, the paper examines bidding from a business and marketing perspective in the continually emerging area of public–private partnerships. Finally, the fourth paper in this issue by Kanjanabootra and Corbitt moves the project discussion to the public policy level by examining the Thai construction industry and the ASEAN community. Highlighting the need for consistency in regulations, the paper examines the experience of Thai construction professionals and their perspectives on the lack of commonality in ASEAN regulations.
On behalf of the Editors and Editorial Board, thank you for your continued support of EPOJ and we look forward to bringing you additional works that challenge accepted principles. As always, please contact me or the Editorial Board with any comments regarding this issue.