Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to show by multivariate regression model if a defective procurement procedure leading to a contract award affects the smooth execution of a project in terms of its cost performance on the strength of the significance of the model. This investigation was conducted with a quantitative method of research by administering questionnaires to key industry players (clients, consultants, and contractors) engaged in construction projects (both civil and building works) in assessing contract award procedures, conditions for contract award after tender evaluation and criteria for contractors’ prequalification. Data from their field survey was analysed with mean item score to show hierarchal importance of factors and critical evaluation using multivariate analysis of variance. Findings showed that a poor and inappropriate contract award procedure has divergence from efficient project cost management based on the corollary of mean score values of contract award procedures, conditions for the award and prequalification test. The practical implication of this, is that an unbiased contract award procedure will apparently lead to a lesser strenuous project management effort towards mitigating cost spills and overruns for a lesser project abandonment if the right contractor with the right capabilities is awarded the contract. These implications stem from the originality of the investigation arising from F-value statistics (7.406), t-value statistics (3.046), and p-value of 0.003. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Construction safety is one of the parameters for evaluating the success of a construction project. Evidence from the literature suggests that a poor health and safety (H&S) record is a matter of concern to project stakeholders. The benefits of improved H&S performance include, inter alia, increased productivity, reduced construction cost, reduced workplace accidents, and an enhanced industry image. This research seeks to determine major obstacles to project site safety in Nigeria. An understanding of these impediments provides an opportunity to develop strategies for H&S at construction sites. A questionnaire survey was used to address the objectives of the study, while descriptive statistics were employed to interpret the quantitative data obtained. The findings revealed that stakeholders’ lack of commitment, ineffective H&S regulations, and inadequate H&S training among construction professionals are the major obstacles to H&S performance. This study provides in-depth knowledge by highlighting the significant obstacles to H&S practice. The research is limited to Nigeria and did not secure enough evidence to generalise its findings. Therefore, similar studies are required in other developing countries to compare the impediments to construction H&S in those countries to the findings of this study. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: An endeavor to predict the optimum contingency value that balances between maintaining business competitiveness and achieving project objectives is definitely an essential contributor to the survival of contractors. The chief objective of this research, therefore, is to develop a mathematical prediction model of the optimum cost contingency value for building projects in Saudi Arabia. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique was used to define the most significant risk factors inherent in public work projects. The multi attribute utility theory (MAUT) technique was used to measure contractors’ risk attitudes and to establish the utility functions through MATLAB. The required data to build the model for the AHP and MAUT were collected from 17 contractors mostly through intensive face-to-face interviews and email-response to a developed structured questionnaire. The integrated contingency model reflects the basic dimensions of risk and considers the various risk attitudes of contractors. The model has been implemented in prototype software using object-oriented programming. Two completed local building construction projects were used to validate and demonstrate the use of the developed model in recommending the optimum cost contingency value for building projects in Saudi Arabia. The developed model was proven reliable in estimating the contingency with an accuracy skewed 9% to the high side. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The constructability theory is built on the premise that designated experts review and analyse a plan collectively to iron out obstacles that may cause failure to the plan and make the execution efficient and cost-effective. This paper aims to reveal constructability practices among stakeholders (owners, designers, and contractors) who are executing industrial projects in Saudi Arabia. The research commenced with an intensive review of related literature. The literature review enabled the researchers to develop a questionnaire (data collection tool) which was distributed among the stakeholders via E-mail. The received data were analysed using simple statistical tools such as means, frequency, etc. The Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to measure the level of benefits from the constructability implementation. The stakeholders were found to implement constructability at the project and, to some extent, at corporate levels. Besides, they use many Construction Industry Institute (CII) concepts emerging from well-constructability CII principles in industrial projects. They form teams consisting of personnel from their organizations and facilitators either from their organization or from constructability consulting organizations. They use effective constructability review techniques such as the log/file, brainstorming, and the design review checklist. The constructability implementation yields considerable benefits, including “Reduce engineering cost,” “Reduce construction cost,” “Reduce the amount of rework,” “Improve project safety,” “Reduce schedule duration,” and several others. The study contributes to the book of knowledge and provides practitioners with guidance in implementing constructability. Designers and contractors are advised to implement constructability at the corporate level. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This study presents a fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) analysis of the internet challenges of the internet of things (IoT) implementation of construction projects in Nigeria. The identification of the IoT challenges was carried out through a thorough literature search and discussions with 27 built environmental experts. In addition, DEMATEL, an expert judgement-based tool, was used to pick, design, and evaluate a structural model consisting of a causal relationship between defined IoT challenges. Subsequently, the fuzzy DEMATEL was deployed with a view to constructing a structural relationship between the various challenging factors by visualising the dynamic associations between them. Based on the findings of the literature survey and expert evaluation, 18 obstacles to the implementation of IoT in construction projects were classified into cause and effect classes based on their relative parameters of impact. The results suggest that 8 challenges were categorised into the cause group, while 10 were listed into the impact group. The results of this study will enable construction companies, construction industry experts, project managers in Nigeria to enhance their search to design and execute an effective and productive IoT application for their construction projects. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The building sector has a high level of energy consumption caused mainly by the buildings heating and cooling energy demands to satisfy indoor comfort requirements. Reducing both the amount of energy consumed and the life cycle cost is a main challenge for the construction of buildings. It is evident that sustainable materials have low environmental impacts and need low consumption of energetic resources in addition to their durability and recyclability. Therefore, this research aims to test different sustainable materials available in Egypt for the construction of building envelopes that include local stones “Marble and Limestone” and insulation materials “Polyurethane- expanded and Extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam” in order to achieve savings in energy and total life cycle cost. The simulation tests were conducted through Design Builder software. The results aim to provide solutions for building designers to achieve energy-efficiency and costeffective design. The proposed alternatives showed a significant reduction in energy consumption by up to 62% and the total life cycle costs significantly reduced by up to 45.8%. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The construction industry in Pakistan is experiencing a surge in public sector projects due to major investments in infrastructure projects. Project delays and cost overrun are common features in public sector construction projects in Pakistan. Therefore, an understanding of the causes of time and cost overrun in public projects is essential. This paper investigates delay and cost overrun factors within the context of public sector projects in Pakistan. This study identifies 48 potential factors from existing literature and semi-structured interviews were used to refine the identified factors into ten categories. A questionnaire survey was used to establish a hierarchy of factors using descriptive statistics. The results showed that the major causes of time overruns in public projects were (1) legal issues, such as court stay orders, land acquisition, relocation of public facilities; (2) technical errors leading to low-quality drawings, rework, and errors at bidding stage; and (3) Poor project management. The findings of this research contribute to understanding the causes of project delays in public sector projects in Pakistan. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The creation of Agile frameworks signified the development of practices specifically aimed at delivering projects - in an unpredictable world - on time, within budget and to the required quality. The purpose of this study is to present the potential effects of common Agile practices on conditions for project success. Two literature reviews are conducted. The first literature review identifies commonly reported Agile practices, while the second literature review focuses on these Agile practices’ reported effects. The two literature reviews identify twelve commonly reported Agile practices and their reported effects on six conditions for project success. Some Agile practices are shown to be more common than others. An abundance of identified terms used for Agile practices complicates the review of the existing empirical studies and the establishment of a common research agenda. Furthermore, the research shows that most of the examined Agile practices have both positive and negative effects on the conditions for project success. Only a few of the commonly reported Agile practices are shown to have a solely positive effect. The study identifies variations in the amount of available research on the effects of the various Agile practices. For research, this study identifies Agile practices and effects that need further attention. For practice, this study shows that Agile practices should be implemented with the desired effects, and the organizational and contextual conditions, in mind. PubDate: Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The waste generation from old rubber tires has been increasing and causing environmental degradation with the escalation of vehicles number especially in the cities. Bitumen is extensively used in flexible pavement construction and as its manufacturing industries were still growing, the cost has not been much affordable. This study aimed at evaluating the possibility of a partial replacement of ordinary bitumen by tire rubber waste, with the purpose to reduce not only the amount of rubber wastes dispersed in the nature, but also the material cost, while keeping or improving the bitumen product performance. The study used rubber waste powder as partial replacement to ordinary bitumen by 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of its weight and, with adequate samples, properties of the bitumen product were investigated, after checking the standard quality of used bitumen 60/70 grade. It was established that more adequate results were achieved at 5% of replacement, which showed the penetration value of 61.66 tenths mm, the softening point value of 52.750C, and the viscosity of 134 sec. Regarding the cost estimation of this new bitumen, a cost reduction of around 5.3% was realized. Therefore, the use of rubber waste powder would contribute not only to the reduction of the quantity of respective waste in the environment, but also influence on the material affordability. The use of other grades of bitumen than 60/70, as well as the strength and durability performance may be a good scope for further studies. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: A key factor for motivating intending buyers of raw materials is vendor responsiveness. Therefore, to meet demand, a pre-approved level of stocks is often maintained. In contrast, the decision to keep an uncontrolled amount of stock could be counter-productive with cost components associated with holding often ignored unintentionally. In this study, the objective is to develop a spare parts inventory model that incorporates ignored holding costs with a storage constraint for a motorcycle assembly plant (MAP). The inventory policy, structure of holding costs, and spare parts sales reports were consulted for relevant data. The spare parts were categorized and selected using ABC analysis. A spare parts inventory model, which considers ignored holding cost, was formulated. The model was executed using Lingo optimisation software release 18.0.56 to determine the pair of the order quantity (Ɋ) and reorder point (Ɍ). 177 spare part items were identified using ABC analysis. The parts categorisation revealed that 21, 31, 125 part items belong to categories A, B, and C with 81, 15 and 4% of annual sales value, respectively. From category A, nine items contributed significantly to overall sales. The demand pattern for these items was probabilistic based on their coefficient of variation. The pair (Ɋ, Ɍ) for items N, Z, AY, K, AM, J, P, AL and AZ are (174,688), (71,147), (78,150), (86,163), (18,15), (88,170), (128,118), (33,43) and (87,152), respectively. These pairs yielded a total inventory cost of ₦2,177,363 when compared to the current total inventory investment of ₦6,800,000 resulting in a 67.9% cost reduction. A model to manage spare parts inventory with relevant holding cost components was developed for MAP to ensure the availability of items, maximize usage of storage space, and minimize total inventory cost. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Flood events around the world result in the loss of human lives, disruption, damage to economic, infrastructural and ecological systems. Although, different frameworks to manage flood events exist; however, the complexity (i.e. adjustment and adaptation) associated with some of these approaches is often limited by constraints of time and resources. Therefore, this study attempts to apply a flexible project structure to schedule a post-flood recovery project (PFRP). Twenty-five (25) restorative activities in a PFRP were identified, categorised and scheduled as resource-constrained project scheduling problem with a flexible structure (RCPSP-FS). Monte Carlo simulation was used to reflect the uncertain characteristics of each restorative activity. PFRP completion time was 42 and 86 days under time and resource constraints assumptions, respectively. Thirty- four (34) network paths (sub-projects) were identified and grouped into 4 restorative measures as follows: (i) removal of hazardous materials (ii) evacuation of injured persons (iii) provision of flood technology warning system and technical facilities and (iv) construction of shelter, homes and bridges. Time and cost flexibility values for the network paths range from 6 to 63 days, and 14.79 to 288.77 thousand USD, respectively. Time and schedule sensitivity analysis revealed the impact of each restorative activity on simulated project completion time. Based on these results, it is concluded that a flexible project structure can respond to changing circumstances during post-flood restoration efforts which allow more degree of freedom in activity scheduling, flood events measures and cost alternatives. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The construction industry influences and accelerates national growth and development, but it, however, contributes to unsustainable and eco-unfriendly development which impacts on the economy and environment. To encourage investment in sustainable construction, this study made a case for green building materials (GBM) products and services market in the construction industry of developing countries, through an assessment of the benefits of GBM incorporation in construction projects. The study adopted an internet-mediated questionnaire survey approach and snowball sampling techniques to gathered data from clients, consultants, professionals, and contractors/sub-contractor in the southeast geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Frequency, Percentile, Shapiro-Wilk test, Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s tests, relative importance index (RII) and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to analyse the collected data. The study revealed that the green construction market is unsaturated and under-tapped. With high awareness and low adoption levels of GBM, it was concluded that the most important benefits of GBM that will trigger demand and supply of GBM products and services are improved daylight and reduced need for artificial lighting, improves the quality of life, Increase employees productivity and reduced absenteeism, improve occupants health and comfort, higher profit and return on investment, leads to construction professionals specialisation, reducing greenhouse gas emission from building, reduces toxicity in the internal environment, low operating and maintenance cost, and creates new job opportunities. The uniqueness of this study lies in the assessment of the views of construction stakeholders' in the five states that make up the South-eastern geo-political zone of Nigeria, regarding the key benefits that could trigger the uptake and incorporation of GBM in construction. Developers and Investors in the industry could invest in green construction since there is a ready and unsaturated market for it. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: It is important to assess firms’ financial health in the harsh construction market of developing countries. This study seeks to achieve this by assessing locally owned construction firms’ (LOCOFs) financial performance through evaluating firms’ bill of quantities (BOQ) contract sums and bid unit rates of common building items. Accessible 60 BOQ of the 79 BOQ of building projects awarded to various LOCOFs from 2007 to 2015 by federal universities and federal universities teaching hospitals in Southwest Nigeria were obtained from the institutional archives. Regression analysis of the contract sums and bid unit rates of common building construction items of works such as concrete, sandcrete block, iron, mortar and floor tiles were carried out. LOCOFs’ bid unit rates were compared with published unit rates and Nigeria consumer price index (CPI) within the study period and inferences bothering on firms’ pricing pattern and financial viability of firms based on items of work unit rates were highlighted and discussed. The results showed that 119 out of a total 461 unit rates values representing 25.81% of the LOCOFs bided unit rates were higher than the published unit rates. LOCOFs unit rates trend decreased within 3 to 4 consecutive years while the Nigeria CPI trend increased all through the years considered in the study. This implies that LOCOFs common items of work bids unit rates were not always influenced by the prevailing prices of goods and services in Nigeria. A possible reason for this is the lowest tender selection criteria which influences LOCOFs’ bided unit rates thereby leading to the acclaimed compromise in the quality of construction output and stunted financial performance. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present an optimization model for planning the distribution of materials in earthmoving operations, considering possible interferences between cut-and-fill sections such as rivers, vegetation, topographical features, or expropriations. The earth allocation problem incorporating interferences was modeled as a linear programming problem, aiming to minimize the total earthmoving cost while considering the constraints related to volume balance, construction project duration, and time for the release of traffic. The proposed linear programming model was run by an integrated system, using Excel for data analysis and IBM CPLEX as the optimizer. The mathematical model was evaluated by a sensitivity analysis and validated by a real-world project of a dam access road in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The unit costs and productivity rates used in the fictional example and in the real-world application followed the referential cost system created by Ceará’s Secretariat of Infrastructure (SEINFRA-CE). The proposed optimization model achieved reasonable processing times for all tested applications, presenting itself as a viable and efficient option for planning earthmoving operations. Furthermore, the linear programming approach provided a 2.12% cost reduction for the real-world case study, when comparing the optimized solution and original budget. This study explored the problem of earth allocation with interferences using a linear programming approach, while avoiding complex modeling issues found in recent literature. As a result, this paper proposes a user-friendly optimization system that can be easily utilized by construction companies and departments. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Effective stakeholder management (ESM) is a critical success factor for projects. The increasing complexity in the relationships among stakeholders and their diverse characteristics, including power and interests makes the management of stakeholders increasingly challenging. To date, much of the literature has focused on the stakeholder analysis with very limited to the direct and indirect relationships between stakeholder characteristics (SC) and project performance (PP). Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill these research gaps by empirically examining (1) the relationship(s) between SC and PP and (2) the mediation effect of ESM on the above-mentioned relationships. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modelling. The findings suggest that stakeholder legitimate behaviour (LB), opposing behaviour (OB), and conflicting interests affect the ability to achieve both sets of quantitative and qualitative PP negatively. ESM has been identified as a key element to eliminate the negative effects of the aforementioned behaviours on qualitative (and not quantitative) PP measures. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Including sustainability criteria for making decisions in project management poses challenges in the areas of bioenergy, biotherapeutics, and biomaterials. This is mainly due to chemical heterogeneity of bio-based materials, technoeconomic feasibility, and triple constraint of time, cost, and product quality. However, bio-based technologies create opportunities as sustainable processes because they involve upvaluation of locally available renewable and biodegradable materials. This work was conducted to identify challenges and opportunities in incorporating project management tools in bioproduct development with the goal of integrating measurable sustainability criteria scores in decision-making. The scores or metrics from these tools can be used by project managers for decision-making in engineering process scale-up, evaluation of social impact, and commercialization of processing technologies. PubDate: Tue, 20 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The world population is aging rapidly. The United Nations listed aging as one of the main social transformations of the twenty-first century. Aging impacts project managers as well. The most prevalent form of discrimination in workplaces is age discrimination. This study evaluated how project managers’ age influences project success. The population was 108 active or former project managers working in Albania or Kosovo. By using quantitative analysis, it was demonstrated that project managers’ age did not significantly predict project success. Therefore, there is a need to increase awareness among employers, so older project managers are not discriminated based on age. PubDate: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Traditional formwork design processes entail considerable waste, increasing non-value-adding manpower costs and operational time. The purpose of this research is to use lean thinking in formwork design so as to enhance design correctness and eliminate waste through establishing a Lean Formwork Design Process. In the design process, the concurrent design concept is adopted to provide a visual communication platform for design team members using Building Information Modeling (BIM). Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) are used as a protocol for sharing design artifacts. Design correctness is established to review and correct design errors, thus allowing for the construction of an organizational learning environment. Finally, the Lean Formwork Design Process is conceptualized using stock-flow diagrams. A real case is used to validate the applicability of the proposed approach. Application results show that the proposed method can enhance design correctness and reduce manpower waste and operational time in formwork engineering. This study is one of the first to apply lean thinking to improve practices in formwork design. PubDate: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The right selection of implementation system for projects in the construction industry is critical to achieve success. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), is a comprehensive implementation system which has in recent years been seen to play an effective role in projects improved efficiency. Implementing an IPD system to resolve various problems of traditional systems is very important; however there are several barriers to its implementation. In addition, rooting and classifying the barriers is very significant in being able to resolve them. The aim of this study is the identification of barriers to IPD basically extracted from existing case studies. In this research, the meta-synthesis qualitative method is used for identifying and classifying the IPD barriers. The results are presented in a comprehensive table, and then are illustrated as a pattern by using macro concepts. This pattern is useful for presenting barriers to IPD. Identifying the barriers and resolving them are as important as identifying the benefits of IPD in creating motivation for construction industry owners. They also serve to provide the context for required predictions in implementing this approach in the construction industry. PubDate: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Given the creation of different types of knowledge propositions in project and production management, we discuss what we call ‘evangelical’ propositions and what as knowledge intermediaries our role should be in its dissemination. We examine both proposition accuracy as well as the process by which the proposition was arrived at. We suggest strategies for knowledge intermediaries to adopt in order to achieve balance in evaluating these developments. Further, we support our suggestions by examining the development of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) and the debate that has accompanied these, as a case study. The debate relates to how much of the knowledge proposition in these is really new and whether the method of developing the proposition was lacking in some sense. Knowledge intermediaries, those who are expected to play an important role in disseminating knowledge, will be better prepared to deal with similar innovations in a balanced manner, by analyzing the case of TOC/CCPM. PubDate: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT
Open Access journal
[370 journals]
