Exploring Determinants Contributing to Disputes in the Closing of Final Accounts in the Construction Industry

The closing of final accounts without any disputes that satisfy all stakeholders is an important factor in measuring the success of a construction project, as it ensures that all financial matters are settled in a fair and transparent manner. It also provides an opportunity for the contracting parties (contractor and client) to reconcile their records and resolve any differences to ensure that the project is completed within budget. However, the closing of final accounts in the Malaysian construction industry has long been a problematic issue where settlements often take much longer than stipulated in the contract due to disputes and a lack of attention to settling the final accounts in a timely manner. This study aims to identify the determinants that constrain prompt settlement and contribute to disputes in the closing of final accounts as part of a broader research project. An extensive literature review was conducted to obtain relevant information relating to final accounts in the construction industry and the major determinants contributing to disputes in the closing of final accounts. The results suggest that the major determinants contributing to disputes in the closing process of final accounts can be categorised into seven aspects, namely: client, contractor, contractual, management, variation, human behaviour, and environmental/external. Through this research, a conceptual framework is proposed to serve as a reference for stakeholders to reduce disputes in the closing of final accounts. The findings of this research contribute to existing knowledge relating to issues in final accounts and enhance the understanding and awareness of contracting parties on the determinants that lead to disputes, thereby enabling them to prevent such conflicts at an early stage in construction projects. This ultimately serves to improve the closing process of final accounts in the Malaysian construction industry

The Significance of Coordination for Industrialised Building System (IBS) Precast Concrete in Construction Industry

IBS precast concrete is construction system which is meant to improve the conventional construction process. However IBS precast concrete projects are suffering from serious problems such as cost overrun, delays and less quality of the end product. The absence of coordination is perceived as the reason for this issue. The purpose of this paper is to review the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete in the construction industry. It if found that the fragmentation which occurs in the construction industry requires continuity of coordination due to the construction activities are intertwined in nature. Coordination is designated to assist stakeholders in completing and complementing each other with the paramount focus of achieving the objective. Proper coordination is required in delivering the desired construction product at the ideal time, cost and quality. As for the findings, the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete can be seen through the precast concrete construction phases which consist of planning; design; manufacturing; transportation and installation/construction. These phases are meant to complement construction process with the purpose to reduce issues of fragmentation and enhance IBS precast concrete project delivery

The Significance of Coordination for Industrialised Building System (IBS) Precast Concrete in Construction Industry

IBS precast concrete is construction system which is meant to improve the conventional construction process. However IBS precast concrete projects are suffering from serious problems such as cost overrun, delays and less quality of the end product. The absence of coordination is perceived as the reason for this issue. The purpose of this paper is to review the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete in the construction industry. It if found that the fragmentation which occurs in the construction industry requires continuity of coordination due to the construction activities are intertwined in nature. Coordination is designated to assist stakeholders in completing and complementing each other with the paramount focus of achieving the objective. Proper coordination is required in delivering the desired construction product at the ideal time, cost and quality. As for the findings, the significance of coordination for IBS precast concrete can be seen through the precast concrete construction phases which consist of planning; design; manufacturing; transportation and installation/construction. These phases are meant to complement construction process with the purpose to reduce issues of fragmentation and enhance IBS precast concrete project delivery