A supply chain is a set of often diverse participants involved in the production, marketing, sale distribution and end use of goods. This paper looks at project delivery in terms of a supply chain. It explores the concept in terms of integrating the supply chain and applying supply chain management techniques tailored to engineering and project activities.

The concept is a different way of approaching the complex issues of managing a diverse set of participants and has been found to be particularly effective during the early phases of project development. The approach focuses on aligning the interests and activities of all the participants. Solutions are sought at the supply chain level rather than the individual participant level and thus the performance of the supply chain is optimised as a whole. This derives more benefits than optimising the performance of the individual participants and leads to greater efficiencies, less cost, less rework, less conflict, which with improved levels of understanding lead to greater satisfaction all round.