The research aims to investigate the performance of the construction contract and its application. The study focuses on the Lump Sum Turnkey Contract (LSTK); in particular, the application of Libyan law to such contracts and how this compares with English Law, taking account of formal contractual documents, notably the Joint Contracts Tribunal UK Forms of Construction Contract (JCT) , taking account of international practice (the FIDIC Conditions). Contracting methods, including DesignBid- Build, Design-Build, Lump Sum and LSTK provide the main focus for this study. The contractor's liabilities under LSTK for design and construction are also analysed. Variations relating to the scope of work in such contracts are investigated. Furthermore, changes in circumstances which are beyond the parties' control have also been examined. In addition, an investigation of the legal problems associated with the execution of construction contracts from a practical perspective are highlighted. The core concern of this study is to identify weaknesses, developments, similarities and differences between Libyan law, English law and international practice and to consider the shortcomings that affect execution of such contracts in the oil industry in Libya. Appropriate suggestions for addressing such weaknesses and finding new opportunities have been have been made to develop the Libyan Civil Code (LCC) and the standard conditions of construction contracts in current common use. Extensive review has been made of the literature and related materials. Selected samples of construction contracts in Azzawiya Oil Refining Company (ARC) Libya in particular, have been studied as practical points of reference. Statistics on LSTK and variations in the major Libyan oil companies were collected and discussed. The findings indicate that the regulations governing construction contracts are limited within Libyan law, and the number of variations in oil construction contracts are high. Certain conditions (clauses) of construction contract forms are in contradiction with the provisions of the LCC and international practice. The conclusion is that some modifications and changes are required in the LCC, and that particular clauses of standard forms require to be amended.

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At the time of writing this thesis, the construction industry related media's attention was dominated by the issues of alternative procurement systems and the ability to profit from such variances. In the last decade Sir Michael Latham and Sir John Egan's reports have contributed to a fundamental shift in the manner in which construction is procured. The risk: reward ratio is much talked about, but little has been reported academically to accurately quantify this relationship from a contractors perspective. Hence, the inspiration for this study stemmed from these factors, but rather than consider them in isolation, this thesis analyses the relationship between the mode of procurement and the contractor's profitability variance associated therewith. To facilitate the investigation a literature review, questionnaire/survey and statistical analysis of anonymous subject companies' data significantly proves that procurement and profit are related in the construction industry. This research is a contribution to knowledge, which supports and challenges certain established procurement paradigms. This research could be utilised to gain competitive strategic advantage.

This thesis presents a study of the fragmented nature of activities involved in the specification and procurement of construction products. Existing Internet-based approaches have perpetuated fragmentation in this domain and this has resulted in a problem known as 'digital anarchy.' The thesis describes the design and development of an application based on the metaphor of software agents to address this problem. The thesis has validated the view that failures in the existing approaches have resulted in the 'digital anarchy' problem. Such approaches have failed to eradicate paper-based communication patterns and its related sequential work methods. The thesis has established the proof of concept of using agents for the management of distributed information in the selected domain. The work has also synthesised agent technology, XML and Web Services into a cohesive architecture, demonstrating that the ultimate solution to the 'digital anarchy' problem will emerge from a synergy of the various streams of research in Internet-related technologies. The work has established that there is significant scope for systematic improvement in the specification and procurement of construction products listed on the Internet based on the agent paradigm.