CONCLUDING REMARKS

In this rather descriptive textual form it has been attempted to pin down the sphere of operation of the Danish contracting system. The description takes its starting point in the formal representation of the system, i.e. in the extensive and detailed official (written) documentation. Subsequently, as the prsentation of it through large passages is close to mere description, it might have seemed appropriate to make a more abstract analysis. On the other hand a critical investigation of contracting system efficiency would have been quite another analytical task, especially complicated in relation to the comparative aims of le Groupe Bagnolet. The relationship between formally laid down procedures and their appearance in practice is of course an important subject of discussion. The scale and substance of the divergence between these two "realities" undoubtedly vary according to not least nationally and culturally determined conditions. It is, however, the firm conviction of the authors of this paper, that the structuring and regulating influence of the Danish contracting system on actors and activities in construction must be characterised as direct and strong. In a European context this feature is partly embedded in the political framework of the Scandinavian sphere, where scopes for actions are fixed through political and social negotiations. But also specific historical conditions in the post-war development of the Danish construction technology underline the impact of the contracting system, principally illustrated by the emergence of the industrialised production systems, which were implemented within the system’s apparatus of rules, procedures, functions and activities throughout the post-war decades. As shown this systematised alliance between industrial and institutional actors was highly effective in achieving defined goals and has proven of considerable momentum. However, the model seems rather unfit for handling rapid changes in market and technology demands related to internationalisation trends - a problem which is probably the biggest contemporary challenge for Danish construction.