Construction projects are complicated, and when teams aren’t aligned early on, things can fall apart fast. That’s where Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) comes in. It brings owners, architects, contractors, and suppliers together under one contract, so everyone’s working toward the same goals from day one.
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Unlike traditional delivery methods, where silos and miscommunication often lead to delays and budget issues, IPD builds trust and collaboration into the process. Teams make decisions together, share risks and rewards, and keep everything transparent from start to finish.
It’s a model that’s gaining traction in complex sectors like healthcare and infrastructure, where efficiency and coordination matter most. And with growing adoption across the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK, IPD is proving to be more than just a new contract type—it’s a smarter way to build.1,2
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Why IPD Matters
Ask anyone who's managed a complex construction project—getting everyone aligned early can make or break the job. That’s one of the biggest advantages of Integrated Project Delivery. It puts collaboration and proactive change management at the center of the process, not as afterthoughts.1
Collaboration That Actually Works
In most projects, collaboration is easier said than done. With IPD, it’s built into the contract. All key players (owners, architects, contractors, consultants) are involved from the start. That early input helps the team set clear goals, flag risks, and define expectations before anyone touches a shovel.
It’s not just about kickoff meetings, either. IPD encourages ongoing communication, shared decision-making, and joint accountability throughout the project. That kind of alignment helps teams move faster, reduce friction, and deal with problems before they turn into delays. And when disagreements do come up, there’s already a framework for resolving them without bringing the job to a halt.1
Change Management Without the Fire Drills
Another key benefit of IPD is its proactive approach to change management, which is essential for the success of complex construction projects, especially those focused on sustainability.
Unlike conventional models, where changes are handled reactively, leading to conflicts and project delays, IPD emphasizes collaboration from the beginning. This early alignment supports thoughtful decision-making. IPD's structured framework ensures that changes are managed efficiently and transparently.
Additionally, its shared risk and reward model motivates stakeholders to address issues proactively, minimizing costly disruptions. This collective responsibility builds trust, encourages open communication, and fosters a cooperative environment where all parties work together to prevent problems and maintain project momentum throughout its lifecycle.1
IPD and BIM: Better Together
BIM and IPD are changing how projects get built—not in theory, but in the day-to-day work of coordination, decision-making, and staying on budget. Together, they offer a practical solution to the complexity that’s now standard on most jobs.3
BIM provides a detailed digital model that brings together design, scheduling, and cost data. When everyone on the team works from that same model—architects, engineers, contractors, consultants—it’s easier to coordinate work, catch issues early, and avoid costly surprises on site. Combined with IPD’s team-first approach, it creates a workflow where information moves quickly and decisions are made with fewer layers of friction.1,3
This integration also supports better sustainability and long-term performance. BIM tools can simulate energy use, track material choices, and provide insight into lifecycle costs. With an IPD structure in place, those insights don’t sit in isolation—they feed into a collaborative process where the team can act on them.
Yes, there’s a learning curve. Adopting BIM and IPD requires investment in training, better planning practices, and buy-in across all disciplines. But that gap is narrowing. With more firms adopting cloud-based tools, AI, and connected platforms, the integration is only getting easier—and the payoff is real: fewer delays, clearer accountability, and better-built projects.3
Where IPD Can Go Wrong
For all its benefits, IPD isn’t without its risks, and understanding those risks upfront is critical to making the model work. A lot of the trouble starts when integration falls short.2
The biggest problems tend to come from weak communication, poor team alignment, or clients not staying involved during design. When key players aren’t fully engaged or when trust breaks down between disciplines, it puts the whole collaborative structure at risk. In some cases, even teams with a history of working together don’t perform better if they’re not aligned on goals from the start.
Leadership also matters. Poor coordination or lack of direction within a multidisciplinary team can derail progress quickly. If contractors come in too late, or if target costs are unrealistic, the team ends up reacting instead of planning, and the advantages of IPD disappear.
There are two broad categories of risk here. First, the familiar ones: design changes, construction delays, permit issues, payment hold-ups, labor problems. These show up on most projects, regardless of delivery method. But IPD brings a second set of risks that are more specific: inconsistent decision-making, resistance to unfamiliar processes, and limited experience with integrated workflows.
In short, IPD isn’t a fix-all. It requires the right team mindset, clear leadership, and a structure that supports collaboration not just in name, but in daily practice. Without that, the model can fall apart just as easily as a traditional contract.2
New Research on IPD in High-Risk Projects
One of the ongoing challenges in construction is how to manage cost and time claims, especially on complex jobs like underground infrastructure. While IPD has been promoted as a way to reduce these issues, there hasn’t been much hard data on how effective it actually is—until recently.4
A 2024 study published in Sustainable Futures tackled this head-on. It looked specifically at how IPD can reduce claims in urban underground projects, where risks tend to be higher and more unpredictable. The researchers used a hybrid analysis method that combined FAHP (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process) and FTOPSIS (Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). The goal was to figure out which types of claims are most common, and which IPD capabilities are best suited to mitigate them.
The study identified eight top risks, including poor contract system selection, lack of legal support, exchange rate volatility, skill shortages, unclear contract language, material delays, payment issues, and outdated machinery. Using FTOPSIS, the researchers then ranked which IPD practices had the most impact in addressing these risks. Strong leadership, better planning, and smart use of technology came out on top.
The value of this research isn’t just academic. It gives project managers a way to prioritize risk management strategies based on real data. And for public or high-risk infrastructure projects, that kind of structured approach can mean fewer claims, fewer disputes, and better outcomes across the board.4
Final Thoughts
What IPD really asks is a shift in mindset, not just in terms of how we contract, but in how we collaborate. It forces teams to work differently: more openly, earlier, and with shared responsibility. That’s not always comfortable, especially in an industry built on clear lines and traditional roles.
But the reality is that the problems IPD tries to solve—fragmented teams, late-stage conflicts, and finger-pointing when things go sideways—aren’t going away. As projects get more complex, budgets tighten, and sustainability targets become more aggressive, the cost of disconnection keeps climbing.
There’s no one-size-fits-all version of IPD. Some teams will adapt it lightly, and others will go all-in. Either way, the core idea is to make sure that the right people are involved early, given real visibility, and create a structure where solving problems together is baked into the process and not treated as damage control.
What’s encouraging is that more firms are starting to move in this direction. IPD isn’t about replacing how we build. It’s about fixing what’s been holding us back.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re exploring better ways to manage complex construction projects, the topics listed below are worth a closer look:
References and Further Reading
- Shakeel, S. (2025). Collaborative Project Delivery in Construction: Innovations in IPD for Sustainable Change Management and Optimization. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.22431.47526, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388489845_Collaborative_Project_Delivery_in_Construction_Innovations_in_IPD_for_Sustainable_Change_Management_and_Optimization
- Ma, Q., Li, S., & Cheung, S. O. (2022). Unveiling embedded risks in integrated project delivery. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 148(1), 04021180. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002212, https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0002212
- Klocko, G. (2024). Advancing Construction Management with BIM and Integrated Project Delivery. Asian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 10(05), 337-346. https://hal.science/hal-04972997/
- Niazmandi, M. M., Sedaeesoula, R., Lari, S., Yousefi, M. (2024). Integrated project delivery (IPD) capabilities on reducing claims in urban underground projects: A hybrid FAHP-FTOPSIS approach. Sustainable Futures, 7, 100175. DOI: 10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100175, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266618882400025X
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