Effects of Contractual and Relational Governance on Project Performance: The Role of BIM Application Level

This study aims to explore the moderating role of Building Information Modeling (BIM) between project governance and project performance. The theoretical foundation of this research is rooted in transaction cost economics. The data come from the construction industry in China’s Sichuan province. A dataset comprising 175 survey responses was subjected to analysis through the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. The findings confirm that contract completeness and contract flexibility positively influence project performance, and trust in relational governance also has a positive impact on project performance. Additionally, the level of BIM application moderates the relationships between contract flexibility and trust with project performance. However, a significant positive relationship between contract completeness and project performance was not observed. These findings establish a groundwork for transitioning project governance research from a static to a dynamic viewpoint, thereby facilitating the practical implementation of BIM technology. As a result, this study enriches the academic comprehension of governance amidst digital transformation and provides actionable suggestions for fostering efficient governance practices within a technologically progressive landscape.