Fadhil Mohammad

The Way Forward for Industrialised Building System (IBS) in Malaysia

Industrialised Building System (IBS) is a construction process that uses standardised building components mass produced in a factory or on site, then transported and assembled into a structure using appropriate machinery and equipment with minimal workers on site with proper planning and integration. IBS is the term used to represent the prefabrication concept in Malaysian construction industry. IBS contributes to sustainability, improves site safety, quality and productivity in the built environment. Since the move towards industrialisation in the construction industry is a global phenomenon, the definitions, classifications, characteristics and concepts of IBS needs to evolve and in line with the global understanding. The main objective of this paper is to study the way forward for IBS (adopting sustainability, degree of industrialisation and modular construction) and revisit the current definitions, classifications, characteristics and concepts in IBS based on comprehensive reviews of previous researches with an explanatory method. Better understanding on the fundamentals and future improvement of IBS will encourage construction industry players to adopt IBS and increase the awareness on IBS.

The Implication of the Standard Method of Measurement (SMMs) for Building Works Toward Contractors’ Works

Standard Method of Measurement (SMM) is a reference document used to determine a localized technique of construction measurement protocol needed in producing a good Bills of Quantities (BQ) which is then incorporated into the contract document for the project. The preparation of the BQ based on SMM that is reflective of the actual work will actually help the contractor to price the tender realistically. Tendering is a serious business, whereby failure to properly price it at a realistic and profitable level can give a bad impact to the contractor’s organization. Thus, it is crucial to conduct research which aimed to investigate the two edition of the SMM for building works between the SMM1 and SMM2 version in the preparation of the BQs, focusing towards improving the appreciation of the contractors during the course of tender and construction. In view of the above matter, this paper will attempt to identify a few differences on the method of measurement between SMM1 and SMM2 and to analyze the contractors’ perception on the application of the SMM in determining the tender realistically and reflective of the work on site. Triangular data collection approach was used in order to obtain a variety of information on the same issues. It comprises a literature review followed by document analysis, a questionnaire survey which was then supported by semi- structured interviews. However, due to the limitation of the space, this paper will only focus on one major element which is the excavation work. There are three differences identified between the SMM1 and SMM2, which are; unit of measurement, method of measurement and additional new items/elements. There were also a few items the contractor prefers to be measured according to the SMM1. Thus, an improvement is needed in order fill in the gap identified between the two SMMs.

Problems Associated with Delay Analysis Methodology in Malaysian Construction Delay Practice

Delay to progress of a construction project is a major source of claims and disputes in the construction industry. At the heart of the matter in dispute often the subject of the degree of each contracting party’s responsibility for the delayed project completion. Therefore, various delay analysis methodologies have been developed over the years as aids to answering this question. However, to date lack of research on the extent of use of these methodologies in practice to have been done in Malaysia although it has many studies done in this subject area. This paper is an attempt to fill that gap. The aim of this paper is to identify the problems affecting the use of these methodologies in practice. A survey approach using questionnaire as an instrument was employed to achieve the aim of this study. An extensive of the literature review was conducted. The study only involves the contractors and the clients’ consultants. The findings from the survey revealed that “poorly updated programmes”, “lack of familiarity with the techniques”, “lack of skills in using technique”, “unrealistic baseline programme”, and “baseline programme without CPM network” were the top five (5) problems on the use of delay analysis methodologies. This seems to suggest that the sophisticated methodologies are not widely used mainly due to a number of problems related to improper programming and lack of skills and familiarity in using the methodologies.