Swee Eng Chen

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.

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.

Current state of IT usage by Australian subcontractors

The fragmented and highly competitive nature of the construction industry (CI) limits efficiencies and inhibits communication. However, through the effective use of information technology (IT), these communication barriers between clients, consultants, suppliers, subcontractors and contractors can be broken down. Public sector clients in Australia have proposed an IT implementation strategy with the aim of improving communication and increasing productivity in the CI. However, IT is relatively new to the industry and so are the problems associated with it especially for the small subcontractors. The aims of this paper are to examine the current usage of IT by Australian subcontractors, and to identify the potential problems for subcontractors in IT implementation. The results indicate that the uptake of email and the internet by subcontractors is at a low level and the awareness of IT training and education is very low. The indications are that Australian subcontractors are not yet ready for the implementation of even rudimentary IT technology.

A strategy for evaluating a fuzzy case-based construction procurement selection system

System Verification and Validation (V&V) is an essential element in the development and implementation of any computer-based decision tools. The unique concepts of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), such as the use of mega-knowledge and nearest matching have generated extra challenges to system developers to ensure that the system is built right and the right system is built. However, little attention has been attributed to verifying and validating a CBR system. Recently, a fuzzy CBR prototype known as CaPS has been developed for the selection of appropriate construction procurement systems. To ensure that the procurement system is acceptable to the procurement experts in the construction industry, a series of tests have been conducted with domain experts using real cases (stored in the case base) and projects (as scenarios for retrieval and comparison). This paper reports on the findings of the V&V that have been performed on CAPS. Techniques available for verifying and validating a CBR system are first discussed. The V&V procedures applied to the prototype system are subsequently outlined. The results confirm that the cases stored in CaPS are correct, consistent, and irredundant. More importantly, the solutions generated by CaPS are accurate and innovative, and these are necessary for todays construction projects.

IT Uptake and Integration Across a Temporary Project Organisation in the Construction Industry

The case study, funded by the Co-operative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (CRC-CI) in Australia, examines the adoption and integration of IT to facilitate supply-chain activities by a temporary project organisation that was assembled to complete a portion of a major construction project in New Zealand. It consisted of a number of consultants, suppliers, and contractors from three different countries operating in a fourth country, which delivered the major architectural feature for an award-winning building. The case study explores both the interplay between IT and its various users, and its impact on business relationships in an industry traditionally characterised by its litigious, short-term, project focus.