Challenges to the Utilization of BIM in the Palestinian Construction Industry

This Building Information Modelling (BIM) is considered an innovative method to design, construct and manage a building. BIM can reduce time, cost and enhance project quality. The study reported in this paper was aimed at identifying and evaluation challenges that are facing the application of BIM in the Palestinian construction industry. A total of 270 professionals were surveyed to elicit their views regarding challenges to the utilization of BIM in the construction industry. Factors were ranked according to their relative importance index through SPSS version 22. The results of this study revealed that the main challenges to the utilization of BIM were: lack of awareness of BIM by stakeholders, lack of knowledge about BIM software, lack of awareness of BIM benefits, lack of engineers’ skills in BIM, lack of education and training on the use of BIM, lack of demand from clients, and lack of governmental regulations. It is recommended to conduct awareness program for stockholders regarding MIM benefits. Education and training for engineers at universities is strongly recommended so that they can apply BIM in the practice

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION OF BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING (BIM) IN THE PALESTINIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The objective of this study is to determine potential barriers faced by the implementation of BIM in the Palestinian construction industry. The data collection was obtained using a questionnaire-based survey of 270 professionals in the construction industry. The results obtained from the factor analysis clustered the BIM barriers in four components, namely: the lack of interest in BIM, the organization's resistance to change workflows, the lack of BIM knowledge, and the cost implementation and cultural barriers towards adopting new technology and training requirements. The main reason given for not using BIM in the construction industry in the Gaza Strip is due to the fact that the clients and other contracting parties did not require the use of BIM. This study adds to the current body of knowledge on BIM in developing countries, especially in Palestine. The contributed knowledge establishes a good platform for future

Subcontractor prequalification practices in Palestine

The construction industry is a major part of the Palestinian economy. Contracting companies carry out important construction projects in cooperation with subcontractors. The majority of elements of a construction project (such as shuttering, building, plastering, painting, carpentry, and ironmongery works) are implemented by subcontractors through the main contractors. The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the factors used by main contractors in the selection of suitable subcontractors in the Gaza Strip, and to propose recommendations for improving the selection of subcontractors. A survey was conducted of 57 main contractors and 57 subcontractors randomly selected from the Gaza Strip. The study revealed the important factors used by main contractors for selection of suitable subcontractors. These include adherence of the subcontractor to contract terms, adherence to time schedule, commitment to prices

Factors affecting the bid/no bid decision in the Palestinian construction industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank the factors that affect the bid/no bid decision according to their relative importance from the perspective of the contracting parties operating in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Design/methodology/approach – The objectives of this research were investigated through a postal questionnaire, which covered a randomly selected sample of 63 contractors, 29 clients and 13 consultants operating in the construction industry in the Gaza strip. The questionnaire was structured based on related literature, the pilot study and actual factors affecting bidders' decisions to bid or not that arise from special conditions in the Gaza Strip. A total of 78 factors that affect the bid/no bid decision were identified. These factors were then ranked according to their relative importance to contracting parties operating in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Findings – The results illustrate that the financial

Risk-Based Decision Support Framework for Managing Excessive Geometric Variability Issues in Modular Construction

Managing and controlling excessive dimensional and geometrical variability (i.e., tolerances) of modular components and assemblies during the fabrication, transportation, and erection phases, represents a major issue in modular construction (MC) projects. The current industry practices manage tolerance-related risks either reactively (e.g., onsite adjustment by applying forces, shimming, and replacing defected components), or proactively (e.g., 2D & 3D jigs, prototyping (mock-ups), and 3D laser scanning technology, and tolerance theory). The reactive approaches include expensive and time-consuming field rework, schedule delays, and serviceability or functional failures. On the other hand, the proactive approaches require a significant amount of investment (resources) during early project phases (design and fabrication) to produce modular systems that are compliant with design specifications. Thus, improper assessment and reactive management of excessive geometric variabilities due to out-of-tolerances can result in extensive site-fit rework, cost overruns, schedule delays, quality issues, and owner dissatisfaction. The perceived risks and challenges will continue to fuel the reluctance of industry practitioners to apply modularization in future construction projects. Therefore, different decision support systems (DSSs), frameworks, decision matrices, models, and toolkits have been developed to evaluate modularization feasibility (benefits and challenges) for construction projects during early project phases. However, these DSSs, frameworks, and toolkits are not without their limitations. Most previously developed DSSs and toolkits focus on: 1) strategic and high-level decisions; 2) general modularization risks ; and 3) reactive solutions. Also, these DSSs and toolkits lack: 1) quantitative and probabilistic risk assessment techniques to evaluate the modularization risk impact on the overall project performance (cost, schedule, quality, etc.); 2) consideration of the impact of the unique relationships (propagation behaviour and cause-effect relationship) among risks in decision making process; and 3) integration of dynamic risk assessment and management techniques to revise the risk management plans as more accurate modularization process capability information becomes available. With this in mind, further efforts are needed to systematically evaluate tolerance-related risks and excessive geometric variability issues, and proactively manage their impact, both of which are expected to improve modularization performance and maximize its benefits in construction projects. The goals of the research presented in this research are to develop: 1) a systematic process to identify, quantitatively evaluate, and proactively manage tolerance-related risks by identifying optimum geometric variability (using a strict or relaxed tolerance approach) that will achieve cost efficiency requirements; 2) an efficient approach to thoroughly evaluate and manage tolerance-related risks at local and global levels by incorporating the propagation behaviour and cause-effect relationships among risks in the decision making process; and 3) a dynamic methodology to continually evaluate tolerance-based risk management plans and revise risk response decisions as new information becomes available. The results of the work conducted for this research study contribute to both knowledge and practice. On the knowledge side, the main contribution is the introduction of an efficient risk management methodology, which will support modularization decision-making process with respect to the selection of optimum approaches to proactively manage tolerance-related risks and excessive geometric variability issues in construction projects. On the practice side, this research will enhance in a quantitative and proactive manner our understanding of the unique risks and challenges associated with MC, which will help the stakeholders, including project risk managers, decision makers, and construction managers, to improve modularization performance and maximize its benefits

Factors Influencing Post-disaster Reconstruction Project Management for Housing Provision in the Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestinian Territories

In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Gaza Strip has suffered regular cycles of reconstruction due to systematic destruction during Israeli military operations, as in 2006, 2008–2009, 2012, and 2014. In this context of ongoing conflict this article aims to identify, rank, and discuss the most important factors influencing post-disaster reconstruction project management (PDRPM) for housing in the Gaza Strip. A set of key factors that influence PDRPM were assembled as a result of a global literature review. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and the obtained data were analyzed using a relative importance index for each PDRPM factor. Findings are presented in six groups: housing approaches, organizational behavior, project funding, supply chain and logistics, communication and coordination, and PDRPM context. Findings indicate that the most significant factors that influence PDRPM for housing provision in the Gaza Strip are related to issues associated with financial resources. It is critical that sufficient funding should be available in order to allow organizations to undertake housing projects in an effective and efficient way. Joint efforts are required from international donors and local organizations in order to effectively manage financial resources with the ultimate goal of improving PDRPM for housing provision

Cost Management Practice of Construction Firms and Its Influencing Factors: Lessons from Southwestern Nigeria

The growing need at maintaining steady cost projection of construction projects has been an issue of serious concern to both the clients and the construction practitioners on sites. Also, cost deviation from initial cost plan and cost budget has been prevalent on construction sites and no concerted efforts have been made at addressing this phenomenon. This study therefore examined the factors that are considered to be affecting the cost management practice of construction firms in the southwestern Nigeria and also proffered possible ways of ameliorating the factors. Using survey approach, one hundred copies each of structured questionnaires were distributed to clients, contractors and consultants on construction sites in the study area while 72, 77 and 78 copies were duly filled and returned by the respondents respectively. Relative Importance Index (RII) technique was used for the analysis. The results revealed that poor leadership and in appropriate management, inefficient deployment of resources, excessive wastage of materials on sites, complex payment mechanisms, theft of materials on sites and variation during construction works are the prevailing factors affecting construction cost management practice in the study area. It was concluded that extra focus should be placed on the identified factors with a view to reducing cost of construction, enhancing construction performance and building confidence within the construction industry in the study area

A review of data mining in knowledge management: applications/findings for transportation of small and medium enterprises

A core subfeld of knowledge management (KM) and data mining (DM) constitutes an integral part of the knowledge discovery in database process. With the explosion of information in the new digital age, research studies in the DM and KM continue to heighten up in the business organisations, especially so, for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). DM is crucial in supporting the KM application as it processes the data to useful knowledge and KM role next, is to manage these knowledge assets within the organisation systematically. At the comprehensive appraisal of the large enterprise in the transportation sector and the SMEs across various industries—it was gathered that there is limited research case study conducted on the application of DM–KM on the transportation SMEs in specifc. From the extensive review of the case studies, it was uncovered that majority of the organisations are not leveraging on the use of tacit knowledge and that the SMEs are adopting a more traditional use of ICTs to its KM approach. In addition, despite DM–KM is being widely implemented—the case studies analysis reveals that there is a limitation in the presence of an integrated DM–KM assessment to evaluate the outcome of the DM–KM application. This paper concludes that there is a critical need for a novel DM–KM assessment plan template to evaluate and ensure that the knowledge created and implemented are usable and relevant, specifcally for the SMEs in the transportation sector. Therefore, this research paper aims to carry out an in-depth review of data mining in knowledge management for SMEs in the transportation industry