Dam and reservoir projects are not confined to one season of the year, or even to one year. CHM projects may start during the academic year or require continuous full time work over a number of years. In this situation, academic institutions have difficulty consistently devoting adequate time and resources to a CHM project and to the other duties of academia, teaching and research. Private companies do nothing but CHM all year long. They are also used to hiring people on a project to project basis to be available for contracted projects.
Private companies are able to make decisions quickly to respond to new and changing situations.
As a result, a company that has a bureaucratic, complex decision making process cannot compete. Successful private companies make decisions quickly, whether it is to develop a research design, buy new equipment for a project, hire a specialist, or remove an employee who is not working out. The company that does not quickly learn the in-country regulatory requirements, cultural patterns, archaeology and history, will not be successful. The successful company is also able to adapt to changing circumstances whether these involve dealing with new political situations, changes in the project, or unforeseen developments in the data. Private companies must be adaptable to succeed.