## 3 Findings
### Core Elements Underpinning SCM in the Construction Industry
#### 3.2.3 Relationships  
Almost 43% of the elements belong to this subject area, which includes 'procurement', 'objectives alignment', 'top management support and long-term commitment', 'trust', 'collaboration', 'communication', 'problem solving' and 'risk sharing'. The strong competitive environment puts pressure on construction companies to concentrate on core competencies and provide their requirements by outsourcing [62]. Companies are becoming increasingly dependent on suppliers (i.e., material and equipment suppliers and service suppliers) [24], which have a lasting effect on the success of a project [63]. Hence, the evaluation and selection of the best-fit suppliers are of vital importance [62]. Traditional procurement, based on the lowest tendered price, does not necessarily result in a low actual cost nor a good project delivery [18], and limits the flexibility of suppliers to explore innovative solutions that could enhance performance [17]. A multi-criteria decision-making procurement approach is frequently applied to achieve the best value for a project [18; 64]. It uses a set of weighted pre-qualification criteria to assess the resources and capabilities of suppliers [20], and those with the highest aggregate weighting are selected for further direct negotiation [17; 18]. Pre-qualification criteria are a way to check the compatibility between the firms, and thus, it should be designed to reflect the unique entities of the relationship [39]. In addition to the evaluation and selection methodology, making early procurement decisions also has an important impact on project performance [65]. It not only allows suppliers to bring ideas to the design process and detect errors as early as possible, but also permits contractors to better plan construction processes [66]. Objectives alignment enable SC participants to work collectively in order to pursue common goals. Without objectives alignment, project actors' efforts may clash with one another or may not be compatible with the holistic project goals [17]. Therefore, mutual objectives should be established by maximizing mutual interests [18], nurturing a win-win scenario that will benefit everyone in the project [17]. Reaching a unified vision is a fundamental integrating mechanism that supports the creation of common a group identity and promotes active participation of partners [20], as all of them share responsibility for dealing with problems and maintaining relationships [10]. This full involvement of partners and the commitment to forming long-term relationships are essential ingredients for success [14]. Indeed, a long-term focus is fundamental to achieve the mutual benefits in SCM (e.g., improved quality and flexibility of operations), as it can provide higher value of cooperation and better exploration of knowledge [20]. As top managers are the ones who decide the business direction of an organization and the length of commitment to the supply chain, their support is of paramount importance for effective SC relationships [10]. Trust is an essential prerequisite to enable collaboration and co-prosperity between SC partners [7]. As defined by [PERSON] et al. [71], trust is the 'psychological expectation about the behavior of opponents or organizations'. In other words, it is about having the reliance and confidence that the trustee will do what is expected, with the expected standard, without intentionally harming the trustor [72]. Among the many factors that influence trust, [PERSON] et al. [73] highlighted honest communication, reliance and delivery of outcomes. According to the authors, SC participants have to be open to share important information in an honest way and rely on each other compromises. Those who are more competent to deliver successfully the outcome of a project are more likely to be trusted. Building up mutual trust is necessary to modernize complex and highly fragmented CSCs [20]. Moreover, high levels of trust among SC participants allows decisive and flexible action in critical situations [5].