Decision Support Framework for Insourcing and Outsourcing Building Maintenance Activities in Tertiary Institutions

Abstract

The making of an appropriate decision on either to insource or outsource maintenance services in a tertiary institution is strategic in nature. Also, the decision-making process is usually complex and often constitutes a difficult task to decision makers. This is because different sourcing option suits different scenarios. The process of developing a decision-support framework for building maintenance insourcing and outsourcing decision-making in tertiary institutions is the aim of this study. Through a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from maintenance staff and building users using two sets of self-administered questionnaires. The results revealed the factors influencing decision to insource or outsource maintenance services in universities and polytechnics in South-West, Nigeria. The study develops a decision-support framework to assist policymakers and maintenance managers on insourcing and outsourcing decisions for building maintenance services in tertiary institutions. It recommends that decision in tertiary institutions should adopt the proposed maintenance sourcing decision-support framework as a tool for driving building maintenance sourcing decisions.