R. Edward Minchin

Comparison of Cost and Time Performance of Design-Build and Design-Bid-Build Delivery Systems in Florida

AbstractThe choice of construction delivery system is one of the most important decisions that a public highway agency will make with regard to a highway, bridge, or transit construction project. Although several research projects have been conducted on the subject of comparing costs and project duration, there has been no study that statistically analyzes these factors specifically for transportation projects, much less one that eliminates the largest variable of all: different public agencies. The objective of the research reported in this paper was to determine which of two delivery methods, design-bid-build (DBB) and design-build (DB), delivers highway and bridge construction projects at the lowest cost and in the shortest time period, and to back up the findings with a rigorous statistical analysis of the data. Data were taken from the databases of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and arithmetically and statistically compared through Levene’s test, the independent samples t-test, the W...

Sino-American Opinions and Perceptions of Counterfeiting in the Construction Supply Chain

AbstractIncidents of counterfeit products harming humans have been widely reported in the western press. Counterfeit handbags and jeans are easily obtainable at several well-known locations around the world, including many in the United States. The construction industry is not immune from the worldwide problems of counterfeiting. Research reported on by this paper identified the center of the problem as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In addition, the research concluded that there are significant differences in the attitudes toward counterfeiting exhibited by people living and working in North America and those living and working in the PRC. The research, based on almost 200 interviews, revealed that most Chinese manufacturers believe that “close enough is good enough” and many Chinese have a hard time understanding why that is not acceptable to the U.S. market. Of course, many U.S. and Canadian companies have had great success procuring quality material and products from China, but most have achiev...

Improving Productivity on a Troubled Bridge Project

This paper presents a case study of a bridge constructed under adverse conditions in rural Florida. The major challenges facing the contractor were clearly identified through analysis. The bridge was constructed by an established, experienced bridge contractor that faced many daunting challenges in the construction of the bridge foundation, ranging from overdesign to the project manager managing his first construction project. However, the biggest challenge was unforeseen site conditions; namely, some of the most difficult clay imaginable through which to drive piles. These challenges forced the contractor into several tactical maneuvers. In sharing both the methods adapted by the contractor and the results of the adaptations, this paper quantifies for researchers and practitioners how a good contractor made sound, fundamental decisions to overcome severe challenges, improve productivity rates midproject, and eventually make the project a success. A seeming disaster early on, the project was eventually co...

A construction quality index for highway construction

Changes in policy regarding the use of contractor‐conducted testing in quality assurance decisions have hit state highway agencies (SHAs) during a time of continuing reduction in agency personnel. These changes have increased the need for quality‐driven contractors. This, coupled with more agencies adopting specifications tied to performance, places more requirements on contractors to emphasize quality management in their operations. There is a need for rational, comprehensive methods to evaluate a contractors end product from a quality perspective; thus, there is a need for new techniques and approaches for examining and rating the quality of performance. Researchers and practitioners alike should benefit from this description of the construction quality index (CQI) developed through a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The CQI is a rating of the quality of materials and workmanship on highway projects that, unlike current quality rating models used by SHAs, is completely objective. Under limited validation testing, the model proved able to assign quality index values consistent with the owners level of satisfaction with the overall project.

Using Contractor Bid Amounts to Estimate the Impact of Night Construction on Cost for Transportation Construction

AbstractMany studies have documented the merits and problems of nighttime work for highway construction. Most of these studies have examined the safety of the construction site for workers or the traveling public. Illumination standards, sign requirements, and crash rate data have been studied to determine whether crash rates increase during nighttime hours, and the reasons for these crashes. Few studies have addressed either the effects on cost or productivity that nighttime construction has on a project. This study used hard bid unit prices to focus on the effect that performing certain construction activities at night has on cost and productivity. Specifically, the study assumes that a contractor’s bid amount reflects expected relative project productivity and answers the question, “What impact, if any, does night work have on construction productivity and therefore bid price?” This is the first paper to answer both questions as related. Among the results was the fact that for the most part, the owner ...

COMPUTER METHODS IN INTELLIGENT COMPACTION

The term “intelligent compaction” is now heard often enough to make one believe that the method used for documenting the quality of hot-mix asphalt pavement has evolved to a more modern state than is actually the case. In fact, the current process for determining the density of an asphalt mat uses 1960s technology. The nuclear density gauge was a major break through in the mid-1960s and quickly became the state-of-the-art for measuring asphalt density. It revolutionized the asphalt paving industry because it allowed the owner of the project to check the density of the asphalt mat much more quickly than methods used up to that time. That ability, coupled with improved asphalt production methods led to tremendous increases in constructor productivity. Now, however, the owner rarely checks the density of the asphalt mat during the paving and compaction process. The responsibility for quality control (QC) of the paving and compaction process has largely been given to the contractor. This shift in responsibility comes at a time when the construction industry as a whole is faced with the worst labor shortage in history, limiting the number of qualified QC technicians and equipment operators. Recently, researchers introduced a patented system that, when mounted on a vibratory asphalt compactor, can render an asphalt density reading (in pounds per cubic foot) every one-second in real-time. Details of the system and its successes and limitations have been documented in the literature. This paper briefly describes the system and details the essential contributions made by computer hardware and software to a successful onboard asphalt density measuring system.

Construction firm performance and it utilization

This paper examines the impact of information technology (IT) utilization on construction firm performance. Based on empirical data collected from 74 US construction firms, analyses provide evidence that IT has a positive impact on overall firm performance, schedule performance, and cost performance. Firm performance is a composite score of several metrics of performance: schedule performance, cost performance, customer satisfaction, safety performance, and profit. No relationship is found between IT utilization and customer satisfaction, safety, or profit, although this may be due to limitations of the study given strong correlations between IT utilization and cost and schedule performnance. The empirical evidence of positive association between performance and IT use complements survey respondents’ subjective assessments of the association between IT use and firm performance. While not providing detailed return on investment type information, in general the research should encourage firms to adopt and invest in IT tools.

Concessionaire Selection Model Based on Data Envelopment Analysis

The build-operate-transfer (BOT) project delivery approach is gaining popularity because it offers public employers the advantages of delivering vital infrastructure projects while minimizing the need to secure financing. However, one key challenge for BOT projects is concessionaire selection. Poor concessionaire selection may result in difficulties in execution, or even failures to deliver vital projects to the public. As a result, there is a need for an appropriate methodology to select the concessionaire that provides the best offer and has strong overall capabilities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a concessionaire selection model that is based on data envelopment analysis (DEA). The strengths of the proposed DEA model include its ability to incorporate dozens of subjective and objective criteria and to accommodate any number of considered concessionaires. Based on both extensive literature review and practitioners’ input, the research identifies 22 concessionaire selection criteria. The proposed DEA model was practically illustrated based on a case that includes six competing concessionaires.

Fall and Rise of the Largest Construction Manager-at-Risk Transportation Construction Project Ever

All parties agree that the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) construction project got off to a bad start, but why did this project—so anxiously anticipated, so badly needed, and kicked off with such fanfare—seem destined for so long to be remembered as a high-priced failure? After the bad start, why did the MIC project seem to struggle so for almost four years before—seemingly all at once—finding direction? What were the factors behind the bad start? What were the factors behind the lack of progress once the project started? What were the factors behind a remarkable turnaround? This paper answers these questions and more. The product of four years of research and data gathering, this paper should be of use to researchers and practitioners. It uses dozens of interviews with project planners, Florida Department of Transportation administrators, and construction personnel, as well as pertinent data to tell the story of the first 5 years of the construction of this groundbreaking world-class multimodal facility t...

Chinese Organizations’ Actions, Attitudes, and Motivations When Faced with Counterfeit Items in Their Construction Supply Chains

AbstractThe construction industry, like so many other industries, has been affected by counterfeiting. In fact, research has found that counterfeiting has become a significant and growing problem w...