António Aguiar Costa

BIM-Based E-Procurement: An Innovative Approach to Construction E-Procurement

This paper presents an innovative approach to e-procurement in construction, which uses building information models (BIM) to support the construction procurement process. The result is an integrated and electronic instrument connected to a rich knowledge base capable of advanced operations and able to strengthen transaction relationships and collaboration throughout the supply chain. The BIM-based e-procurement prototype has been developed using distinct existing electronic solutions and an IFC server and was tested in a pilot case study, which supported further discussions of the results of the research.

Long-run versus short-run behaviour of the real exchange rates

This paper discusses the mean stationarity of real exchange rates by using new time series methods and new tests. The question whether the real exchange rates have a unit root or are level reverting is set in the general and flexible framework of fractionally integrated processes. The estimations and tests sustain the claim that real exchange rates may be nonstationary and not revert to any short-run parity. However, estimations also suggest that real exchange rates behave differently on the short and on the long run and that they may revert to parity in a century-long period.

Is the construction industry aware of supply chain management? The Portuguese contractors’ perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the understanding and behaviour of construction companies in relation to supply chain management (SCM) and how those relationships can impact the adoption of the SCM concept. Design/methodology/approach – This paper adopted a descriptive study method based on a cross-section survey. A literature review and focus group interviews were used to design the survey questionnaire. The focus group interviews were also used to discuss the results of the survey and draw conclusions. Findings – The results show that the global awareness level of SCM and the relationships level among the entities in the Portuguese construction industry are low, which is in alignment with previous research work. These results also show that SCM in the construction industry is a complex task due to the fact that the relationships between the entities are different, and also often contractors and subcontractors change roles from project-to-project. Research limitations/implications – Th...

Key features of a project alliance and their impact on the success of an apartment renovation: a case study

ABSTRACT With a view to becoming more efficient and cost-effective, the construction sector has been focusing more and more on developing new delivery and collaborative procurement procedures, such as project alliances. Until now, project alliances have focused mostly on large-scale road, rail and water infrastructure projects. Despite the positive results achieved in these projects, the building and real estate sector has been rather reluctant to use this delivery method. The objective of this study was to find out whether it makes sense to use project alliancing in more everyday projects. The chosen case study is a renovation construction project in Finland that was contracted using the project alliance approach. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of the issues involved, a literature review was conducted and case project-specific documentation analysed. Subsequently, several interviews were conducted with project participants, paying particular attention to the experiences and feedback obtained from developer, contractor and designer sides. In terms of the project participants’ perspectives, the alliance was unanimously seen as an asset which contributed to high levels of collaboration between participants and made it possible to achieve positive results.

Virtual reality as integration environments for facilities management: Application and users perception

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of virtual reality environments (VRE) for maintenance activities by augmenting a virtual facility representation and integrating relevant information regarding the status of systems and the space itself, while providing simple ways to control them. Design/methodology/approach The research focuses in the implementation of a VRE prototype of a building management system using game engine technologies. To evaluate the prototype, a usability study has been conducted that contrasts the virtual reality interface with a corresponding legacy application showing the users perception in terms of productivity improvement of facilities management (FM) tasks. Findings The usability tests conducted indicated that VREs have the potential to increase the productivity in maintenance tasks. Users without training demonstrated a high degree of engagement and performance operating a VRE interface, when compared with that of a legacy application. The potential drop in user time and increase in engagement with a VRE will eventually translate into lower cost and to an increase in quality. Originality/value To date no commonly accepted data model has been proposed to serve as the integrated data model to support facility operation. Although BIM models have gained increased acceptance in architecture engineering and construction activities they are not fully adequate to support data exchange in the post-handover (operation) phase. The presented research developed and tested a prototype able to handle and integrate data in a flexible and dynamic way, which is essential in management activities underlying FM.