Discovery of Factors Influencing the Economic Performance of Regional Engineering Supply Chains

Abstract

This study investigates the multidimensional drivers shaping the economic performance of regional engineering supply chains (RESCs) across China's provinces from 2015 to 2023. Moving beyond firm-level metrics, it conceptualizes RESC performance as an integrated outcome encompassing operational efficiency, systemic resilience, value retention within local economies, and diffusion of innovation across tiers of contractors and suppliers. Drawing on a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, the research combines quantitative analysis of provincial-level indicators---derived from official statistical yearbooks, industry surveys on digital adoption, and infrastructure inventories---with in-depth qualitative insights from thirty-two semi-structured interviews involving provincial housing and urban-rural development bureaus, state-owned engineering contractors, and equipment manufacturers. The analysis identifies three interlocking domains of influence: structural conditions---including physical infrastructure density and supplier network concentration; institutional frameworks---such as local procurement regulations, quality certification enforcement, and inter-agency coordination mechanisms; and technological maturity---measured through the depth and breadth of building information modeling and digital twin integration across project lifecycles. Results reveal that while structural endowments and technological advancement exert strong independent effects on performance, institutional factors do not operate as standalone drivers. Instead, regulatory stringency functions as a critical contextual amplifier: it significantly strengthens the positive impact of digital capabilities, particularly where enforcement capacity aligns with technical standards. Cluster analysis further uncovers four distinct RESC archetypes---Tech-Lead Integrators, Institution-Anchor Builders, Structural-Reliant Developers, and Transitioning Laggards---each exhibiting unique configurations of dominant influences and policy responsiveness. These findings challenge one-size-fits-all regulatory approaches and underscore the need for geographically calibrated interventions that recognize how institutions mediate, rather than merely constrain, technological transformation in infrastructure ecosystems.