Amin Haddadi

Best Value Approach (BVA) - Enhancing Value Creation in Construction Projects

Abstract Background: Research has revealed an inadequate understanding of the owners’ and users’ strategic objectives and a lack of methodology for translating these objectives into functional buildings. Fulfilment of owners’ and users’ objectives is fundamental in creating value through a project. Management and design processes can be decisive in achieving the desired objectives. Hence, knowledge about what creates value applied into a management framework will enable higher value creation. Objectives: Providing a framework to enhance value creation in projects by addressing: i) what means and principles should be considered in the front end of a project to secure value creation?; and ii) how can these principles be structured in a framework to maximize the project’s value creation? Methods/Approach: A literature study, two questionnaires, a focus group workshop, 8 interviews, and two case studies. Results: Fulfilment and alignment of users’ needs and owners’ strategies combined with innovative thinking is required for value creation. Challenges and obstacles for value creation are identified, and a framework is suggested. Conclusions: The framework suggests principles that contribute to value creation in each phase of a project. Implementing this methodology will help decision makers towards a better understanding of the objectives and translating them to functional solutions.

Value creation in design-build projects: The role of the designers

This academic research paper addresses how designers contribute to value creation in design-build (DB) projects. In addition to identifying contextual constraints, this paper suggests measures on how designers can maximize value creation. The results are based on a literature review in combination with three separate case studies of Norwegian building projects. Each case study consists of interviews with key personnel and a document study, evaluating value creation for clients and users. Findings show that the concept of value is ambiguous, making value creation confined through the subjective perspectives of various stakeholders. Therefore, to create value, designers must understand how the intended receivers of value interpret the concept. In addition, value creation by designers in DB projects is rather oriented towards whom their costumer is — the contractor, than towards the client and users. This is substantiated in literature describing how contractors obtain the opportunity to trim process and building qualities, provided that the clients mandatory project requirements and functional descriptions are fulfilled. Proposed measures include 1) early involvement of the contractors designers, 2) project partnering, and 3) establishing direct communication between the designers, client and future users. The benefit-to-cost ratio of implementing such measures is high.