Dr. Marleen Hermans

Biography

The chair Public Commissioning focuses on identifying and professionalizing the field of 'Commissioning' in the public sector, and building knowledge areas that provide education in the role of the client in the construction process. The chair initiated the 'Opdrachtgeversforum de bouw', a network of twelve (semi-) public clients in the construction industry. In the coming years, the focus will be on identifying public clients in the built environment (construction, real estate, infrastructure, urban development), the organizational structures of public patronage, and the role of implementing public values in commissioning. Further, it involves understanding forms of collaboration in construction and the typology and impact of these implementations. A critical aspect includes making frameworks and decision models to evaluate and choose forms of cooperation, requiring a focus on the professionalization of commissioning and the specific tasks and demands placed on public organizations, alongside necessary organizational structures, processes, and competencies. Connecting science with practice is important, therefore, there is an active pursuit of connections between 'types' of public clients and scientific domains such as public business administration, purchasing & procurement, and organization change management.

Research Interests