S. Thomas Ng

Problematic issues associated with project partnering--the contractor perspective

The use of project partnering is becoming more frequent in Australian Government construction projects because of the potential benefits that can be achieved from the effective implementation of the project partnering arrangement. Despite this, project partnering is not always successful. The aim of this paper is to identify the problematic issues associated with project partnering based on contractors’ perceptions. Fifteen problematic issues were identified from six contractors involved in unsuccessful project partnering relationships. The results indicate that the unwillingness of the client to fully commit to the partnering agreement was the main reason for ineffective project partnering. There is a need for the public clients to adapt more flexible administrative procedures in order to improve contractors’ willingness to commit to project partnering arrangements.

Forecast models for actual construction time and cost

Abstract The actual construction time and cost of construction projects may be affected by the client, project and contractual characteristics and in many cases can be very different from the contract time and cost. In this paper, details of 93 Australian construction projects are used to develop several models for actual construction time and cost prediction. A forward crossvalidation regression analysis is used for the development of the model for actual construction time forecast when client sector, contractor selection method, contractual arrangement, project type, contract period and contract sum are known. The standard deviation of the deleted residual indicates the best model for actual construction time prediction to comprise the independent variables log contract time, lump sum procurement and non-standard contractor selection. Regression models are also developed for forecasting the actual construction time and cost when client sector, contractor selection method, contractual arrangement and project type are known while contract period and contract sum are estimated. Different forms of regression analyses, including the standard regression and the crossvalidation regression, are used and the crossvalidation regression model with the smallest deleted residual sum of squares is selected. Since these models for time and cost are dependent on the contract period and contract sum being known, it is necessary to investigate the effects in situations where these have to be estimated. The results of the sensitivity analyses show that the errors in predicted actual construction time become smaller as the contract period increases. In contrast, the errors in predicted actual construction cost are virtually the same for large and small projects. The effects of different project type, contractor selection method and contractual arrangement are also examined. The results indicate that the actual construction time for industrial project is the longest when compared with residential, educational and recreational projects and that significant savings in actual construction time can be achieved when negotiated tender and design and build contract are used instead of the traditional open tendering and lump sum contract approaches. Finally, some practical applications of the models are illustrated for predicting the actual construction time and cost based on the risks and uncertainties of different client sector, contractor selection method, contractual arrangement and project type.

Demotivating factors influencing the productivity of civil engineering projects

Workers on civil engineering projects are frequently confronted with problems that could lead to demotivation. Demotivation is caused not simply by a lack of motivators but the existence of certain situations that cause dissatisfaction and discourage individuals from pursuing desired goals. Workers who are inadequately motivated tend to make only a minimal effort, therefore reducing overall productivity potential. It is believed that removing certain demotivators will increase motivation without necessitating the addition of motivators. This paper aims to improve worker productivity by identifying factors that are likely to induce the demotivation of workers. Predominant demotivators and their effects on the productivity of workers in civil engineering projects are identified through an empirical survey in Hong Kong. Time losses due to demotivation were found to be as much as 13.6 man-hours/week, with material availability, overcrowded work areas and rework being the most significant demotivators involved.

Measuring construction project participant satisfaction

Construction projects involve numerous stakeholders, and their satisfaction could directly influence the performance of subsequent projects. Driven by a desire to improve project success, the critical satisfaction factors pertinent to the construction management process should be identified. In this paper, an overall study regarding the behavioural management mechanisms amongst project participants is presented. Eleven behavioural management mechanisms are identified and 15 hypotheses are established for this study. The concepts of satisfaction, project goals, various management mechanisms and their interrelationships are discussed and investigated in relation to construction projects. The results indicate that management mechanisms rather than particular project goal could directly affect the participant satisfaction. Cooperation/participation, task/team conflict and goal commitment are the critical factors influencing the final outcome (satisfaction) in the complicated management process. Moreover, conflict on the task amongst the participants is the moderation mechanisms for the relationship between goal commitment and participant satisfaction. There is a significantly positive relationship between commitment and satisfaction in construction project management, while high level of conflict is stimulated in the goal setting process amongst the participants.

A case-based procurement advisory system for construction

The selection and use of an appropriate procurement system are fundamental to the success of a construction project. However, the procurement selection process involves the analysis of complex and dynamic criteria such as cost certainty, time certainty, speed, flexibility, etc. Procurement selection is, therefore, plagued with uncertainty and vagueness that is difficult to be represented by a generalized set of rules. In reality, decisions in procurement selection are usually derived from intuition and past experience. Case-based reasoning (CBR) appears to be an appropriate approach to meet the requirements of the procurement selection process because of the value of experiential knowledge. This paper reviews the practicality and suitability of a CBR approach for procurement selection through the development of a prototype case-based procurement advisory system. In this prototype system, procurement selection cases are represented by a set of attributes elicited from experienced procurement experts. The system is powered by a fuzzy similarity retrieval mechanism, which gives a greater accuracy than the normal similarity retrieval process. The results indicate that the CBR approach can suitably model the characteristics of construction procurement selection, and provide an indication of potential outcomes to any apparently suitable procurement methods.

Fuzzy membership functions of procurement selection criteria

Many researchers have advocated the development and application of a systematic approach to the selection of procurement processes. Different procurement selection models aimed at improving the decision making process have been proposed. These models generally fail to address the fuzziness of selection criteria used for procurement selection. The aim of this paper is to establish the fuzzy membership function of procurement selection criteria through an empirical study conducted in Australia. Seven procurement selection criteria were considered fuzzy in nature. They are speed, complexity, flexibility, responsibility, quality level, risk allocation, and price competition. The fuzzy membership functions for each of these seven fuzzy procurement selection criteria were derived through a modified horizontal approach.

Parameters governing the selection of procurement system – an empirical survey

The lack of structured procedures, based on good information, for the selection of construction procurement system sometimes inhibits the opportunity for clients to choose a procurement option in a fully informed manner. The selection and use of an unsuitable procurement approach could eventually lead to project failure. To formalise the procurement selection procedures, clients should establish a set of appropriate procurement selection parameters (PSPs) based on their distinctive characteristics and objectives, project requirements, and external environment. In this paper, a list of 34 PSPs was drawn up according to the findings of researchers in procurement selection. An empirical study was carried out in Australia with clients and project managers to unveil the importance and interrelationships of the identified PSPs. The results indicate that the perception of clients and project managers on the importance of PSPs was generally consistent, that underlying relationships do exist among parameters, and there is a need for clients to ensure that the interrelated PSPs are not overlooked when assessing the suitability of construction procurement systems.

The predictive ability of Bromilow's time-cost model

Bromilows log-log time-cost (BTC) model is tested and refitted with a new set of data for Australian construction projects completed between 1991 and 1998. It is shown that, as anticipated by earlier research, different parameter estimates are needed for different project types, with smaller industrial projects taking less time to complete than the smaller educational and residential projects. This results in the development of two separate models, one for industrial projects and one for non-industrial projects. No changes in parameter estimates are needed for projects with different client sectors, contractor selection methods and contractual arrangements. Alternatives to the log-log model failed to produce any improved fit. Finally, the results are compared with previous work to indicate the extent of changes in time-cost relationships in Australian construction projects over the last 40 years. This indicates a clear improvement in construction speed over the period. Furthermore, the ‘public’ sector group in particular has exhibited a greater variation (up to 132%) over the years.

Manageability of stress among construction project participants

Purpose – The purpose is to report the results of research on ascertaining whether the various stakeholders in construction projects can adequately cope with the stresses they are confronting.Design/methodology/approach – Thirty‐three stressors covering various aspects of project implementation, such as organisation policies, working relationships, communication and personal factors, are identified and the manageability of the common stressors faced by management of construction projects in Hong Kong is assessed by means of a questionnaire survey. The relationships among individual stressors are similarly examined. The extent to which stress effects combine and accumulate when related stressors coexist is also considered.Findings – It is shown that the most difficult stressors to manage are “bureaucracy”, “lack of opportunity to learn new skills”, “work‐family conflicts” and “different view from superiors”. The results also revealed that the patterns of stress manageability differ between clients, consult...

A Structural Equation Model of Feasibility Evaluation and Project Success for Public–Private Partnerships in Hong Kong

A successful public-private partnership (PPP) scheme can be described as one that can lead to the delivery of high-quality end products and/or services, which can satisfy the needs of the community, achieve the intended targets/goals of the government, as well as provide a favorable financial return for the private sector involved with the project. This study aims to establish an evaluation framework for the initial feasibility evaluation of a PPP project that would satisfy all the stakeholders. The factors for evaluating the feasibility of PPP projects can be classified into five broad categories: technical; financial and economic; social; political and legal; and others. Through the structural equation modeling approach, data attained from a questionnaire survey conducted in Hong Kong was analyzed and a model was developed to examine the relationships between different evaluation factors and the overall satisfaction of stakeholders. The results indicate that technical and social aspects are critical to the feasibility of PPP projects, and therefore, are the determining factors for success. This paper should assist relevant stakeholders to improve their understanding on the relative importance of the evaluation factors, and help to establish a comprehensive framework for decision makers to evaluate the feasibility of PPP projects. The predictors for PPP project success were also determined to enrich the knowledge base and help formulate management strategies to better implement the PPP project delivery approach.