Project sales and delivery processes entail complex negotiations between client and contractor, as the details of the project are agreed upon during extensive interaction, often over a substantial period of time. Although very little research has been done on project negotiations as such, established research in the area of negotiation analysis provides a theoretically well-founded framework for studying project negotiations. This study applies the negotiation analysis framework to describe and analyze negotiations in the context of project sales and delivery processes.The body of this report first develops an understanding of the concept of negotiation and reviews the negotiation analysis approach. Second, the project sales and delivery process and its distinctive features are reviewed and their implications on negotiations in projects are analyzed. Third, the logic and concepts of negotiation analysis are used to describe and analyze a selected set of negotiation strategies available to either the client or contractor at different phases of a single project.The main results of the study include a conceptualization of the project sales and delivery process as a negotiation problem, and a qualitative description of selected negotiation strategies in terms of negotiation analysis. The concepts used (e.g. phases of negotiation, interests, issues, and best alternatives to a negotiated agreement) can be applied in practical settings for the purposes of training professionals and preparing for negotiations, and ultimately for transforming negotiation games in the favor of practicing negotiators.
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