2. Stakeholders in the building process

Of course, the metal construction contractor acts as a company in a construction contract, most often for the structural steelwork package only. More rarely, they act as general contractors. It has to be said that his basic profession as an industrial contractor hardly encourages him to do so, since general contracting is a different business.

Figure shows a typical chain of participants in the construction of a building project.

Most of the time, the key decision on whether to build with steel rests with the architect, and sometimes with the customer. If the latter has some experience in the field, he can, at a pinch, influence the architect's choice. In practice, the steelwork contractor has few resources or means of influencing...