Off-Site Construction as an Enabling Mechanism in Mega-Project Development: A Model for the Entrepreneurial Business Developer Intermediary (EBDI)

Abstract

Off-site construction (OSC) offers well-established advantages in productivity, quality, and sustainability; however, its strategic adoption in public-private partnership (PPP) mega-project development remains limited, particularly in emerging economies. This paper argues that the primary constraint is institutional and governance-related rather than purely technological or financial, specifically the absence of a boundary-spanning intermediary capable of translating OSC value propositions into PPP-compatible structures. Drawing on stakeholder theory, institutional theory, and transaction cost economics, the study introduces the Entrepreneurial Business Developer Intermediary (EBDI) as this missing governance actor. Using a qualitative, theory-driven single-case study of the Niamey International Airport PPP in Niger, the paper triangulates AfDB project documentation, institutional records, OSC literature, policy benchmarks, and one expert interview with a senior contractor representative. The analysis identifies institutional barriers to OSC adoption, characterises the EBDI's intermediation functions, and develops the EBDI-OSC Enablement Model. The model articulates three interdependent enabling mechanisms: opportunity framing, which positions OSC as an investable proposition; stakeholder alignment, which secures coordinated multi-actor commitment across fragmented public-sector counterparties; and delivery structuring, which embeds OSC within contractual and procurement frameworks. The project documentation reports an estimated 18% reduction in the construction programme; however, this figure is treated as project-reported and not independently audited. The paper develops a mechanism-based governance framework to enable industrialised construction in complex PPP environments and argues that effective advisory mandates must extend beyond financial restructuring to encompass construction innovation and supply-chain integration.