Measuring Refurbishment Contractors’ Service Quality and Client Satisfaction: A Case Study at Public Institutions of Higher Education

This study aimed to examine contractors’ service quality performance and to explore the relationship between service quality and client satisfaction when undertaking refurbishment projects for public institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was generated based on the five service quality determinants in SERVQUAL, namely, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. From the five determinants, thirty-two attributes which might affect project service quality in refurbishment projects were identified to ascertain clients’ service quality expectations. Out of the 150 questionnaires distributed to 20 public institutions of higher learning, only 74 were completed and returned, resulting in a response rate of 49%. The results indicated that the reliability factor was the most important variable of service quality and that clients at public institutions of higher learning had high expectations in terms of service quality from refurbishment contractors. The results also showed that the values of service quality scores were negative for all attributes and those contractors were not currently meeting their clients’ expectations in the refurbishment projects. Finally, the study revealed that the dimensions of empathy and assurance had significant effects on customer satisfaction