Industry analysis: How is the elevator model decided in a construction business?

Our group got an opportunity to interview three structural engineers from different multinational corporations. They told us that the type of an elevator is usually decided in the bidding phase and depends on the contracting process. They highlighted that in every construction project in the background of the choices are the local norms and regulations.

The professionals we interviewed recognized three basic ways to decide the type of an elevator for a new building. They remained that in a real life situation most of the decisions are made as a combination of several factors/opinions. Because of the high risk of the construction business, project managers tend to use the same companies products again.

The three ways are:

1. In a turn-key delivery the contractor decides. Either the procurement department buys elevators for several sites at once or specific elevator is bought by a site (project manager/site engineer/operation manager). Usually when the contractor decides the elevator type, they highlight the price in the bidding.
2. The contractor or the project owner might hire a project management by an outside consultant who decides the model of the elevator. 
3. Project owner decides the elevator. Project owner might have an recommendations by the Structural Planner / Designer / Architect. The recommendations tend to depend on specific cases or limitations in e.g. space or possible wanted certifications (greener elevator gains points), the overall design or just which company's product they know would work in the site in question. If the elevator type is decided by the project owner the maintenance costs, design and certification (possible LEED) of the product weight a lot in the bidding.

Source: Interviews with several structural engineers from MNC