Edinburgh Napier University

  Selecting an appropriate contractor is a crucial phase that clients normally conduct to execute projects. For the past few decades, various techniques have been proposed for contractor selection method; however, many decisions lean towards accepting the lowest bid offers. Extensive research has been conducted on the main contractor selection criteria such as financial stability, technical and management capability. This paper aims to analyse the existing literature on health and safety criteria for contractor selection in construction and to categorise those criteria into a specific theme. Six main themes were discovered to represent safety prequalification criteria for construction projects, namely experience and work history, safety control system, safety policy and management, accident rates and records, safety promotion and environmental concerns. Under these six main themes, there are 25 safety prequalification criteria that have been substantially published in previous literature, and the most cited criteria is health and safety records. By identifying the criteria, clients can assess a contractor’s effort in ensuring a safe execution of the project before awarding the contract