Knowledge management for small and medium contractors

Effective knowledge management is increasingly considered as a cornerstone of sustainable business success. Knowledge management systems are strategically valuable for both ensuring consistency and continuous improvement of various aspects such as quality delivery, productivity and competitiveness. The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry are mostly operating under tighter timeframes, narrower profit margins and more constrained resources. Hence the recently commenced SMILE-SMC (Strategic Management with Information Leveraged Excellece for Small and Medium Contractors) project aims to support the information and knowledge management needs of the small and medium contractors in Hong Kong. This paper presents some snapshots on the SMILE-SMC project, and its conceptualized deliverables with some highlights of recent developments.postprin

Contractor selection for design/build projects

As traditional construction procurement approaches are found to be inadequate in meeting the demands and challenges of recent times, alternative procurement routes such as through management contracting or build-operate-transfer are increasingly being adopted. Although design/build is one of the more popular alternative procurement methods that also has a long history, it does not appear to have well-established contractor selection procedures. This paper focuses on developing a model for contractor prequalification and bid evaluation in design/build projects. For this purpose, it presents a comparative overview of some international practices in the design/build contractor selection process. The overall objective is to identify the core aspects of selecting a suitable bidder in order to achieve the best `value for money.' The strengths and weaknesses of current practices of contractor selection are highlighted while identifying some of the best practices followed in design/build projects by various clients.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Knowledge mining of information sources for research in construction management

Extracting the right information at the right time is vital in any research project. Moreover, researchers generally seek innovative "knowledge mining" techniques for optimizing their research efforts within constrained time frames and with scarce resources. Meanwhile, rapid developments in the fields of computing and information technology drive the accelerated globalization process in both industry and academia. This paper explores some of the emerging technologies and associated research methodologies from an information supply chain perspective. An application in a recent Internet based two-phase questionnaire survey for design/build contractor selection provides a useful case study in the structuring of an innovative knowledge mining strategy. This experience feeds into the formulation of a "high-velocity" knowledge mining framework and a set of guidelines - to facilitate and enhance such innovative construction management research, while dealing with some initial issues/problems in the Internet based research environment. Furthermore, some critical success factors, key performance indicators, and mining strategies are consolidated for marshalling both vivid and tacit knowledge sources, such as by "exploiting" Internet resources for more creative and efficient construction management research.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Web-based client advisory decision support system for design-builder prequalification

The design-build procurement route is gaining popularity and being extensively used by many clients. Scrutinizing the capabilities of design-build "candidate" organizations (who submit proposals for prequalification/short listing), is a complex task that demands the evaluation of several quantitative and qualitative attributes. The crucial task of design-builder prequalification needs multidisciplinary expertise that often poses tough challenges to many construction clients. A Hong Kong based cross-sectional research study of various international clients' design-builder selection approaches unveiled several selection strategies and criteria used; and benchmarked some best practices. Based on such consolidated knowledge, a structured design-builder selection model was developed. The conceptualized frameworks for design-builder prequalification are described in this paper. An overview of the development and preliminary validation of a prototype web-based decision support system for design-builder prequalification is also presented in this paper. © ASCE,.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

An integrated decision support system for dealing with time extension entitlements

Claims and disputes on time extension for delays are common in construction projects. Various methods and divergent approaches are used by different parties in assessing delays. Disputes then often arise on (a) eligibility of a delay event for claiming extension of time (EOT), (b) choice of method for evaluating EOT, and (c) quantification of the EOT. This research initiative aims at formulating a knowledge-based decision guidance system to help all concerned parties in navigating through these various options, in order to rationalize their approaches towards the preparation and evaluation of the EOT claims. Such rationalization is based on structured approaches, which are in turn devised from the particular contractual and project conditions. This rationalization is also expected to assist in a convergence of assessment approaches that would in turn reduce disputes and consequently wasted resources. In targeting those aims, a prototype of an integrated decision support system (DSS) for dealing with time extension claims was recently developed using (a) a structured web-based decision support framework, which is supplemented by (b) a Pocket PC based portable framework with seamless database integration. This paper presents some essential highlights on the development and usefulness of key modules of the DSS. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Reinforcing design-build contractor selection: A Hong Kong perspective

Design-Build contracts are becoming increasingly popular as the construction industry seeks less adversarial and more integrated project procurement strategies. However, contractor selection for integrated Design-Build assignments is more demanding and even more critical than with traditional arrangements. A cross-section of some innovative approaches and good practices that were distilled from a Hong Kong based study is highlighted in this paper both for dissemination and for facilitation of an eventual benchmarking and development of selected best practices. More significantly, the ultimate thrust of the research is aimed at reinforcing Design-Builder selection methodologies in the Hong Kong scenario. A structured Design-Builder selection model and a related Decision Support System framework are also presented to help meet these objectives.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Recent advances and proposed improvements in contractor prequalification methodologies

Contractor selection is a critical activity that plays a vital role in the overall success of any construction project. An initial cross-sectional survey indicates the wide range of different contractor selection practices followed by various clients around the globe with apparently little interaction or comparisons during their development. A focus on the prequalification approaches (taken here to include `registration') followed by some major public clients in Hong Kong, Australia and USA leads to an interesting overview of recent advances. This focus also highlights some strengths and weaknesses at the critical front-end of the contractor selection process. A proposed new model is developed by the authors for construction contractor prequalification. Finally, the advantages of developing a client advisory decision support system for advising clients on contractor prequalification are discussed, on the basis of the perceived needs and potential knowledge bases that may be tapped for this purpose.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Benchmarking contractor selection practices in public-sector construction: a proposed model

Benchmarking of best practices has proved useful in the business and manufacturing sectors. However, benchmarking is not established in the construction industry in general and in government organizations in particular. A study of the contractor selection methodologies used by various clients confirms the multiplicity of approaches in practice. This paper aims at identifying some relevant 'best' practices and highlighting 'innovative' contractor selection approaches that have been used by large public clients. A 'co-operative' and 'non-competitive' conceptual benchmarking model is formulated and presented with a view to encouraging continuous improvement in contractor selection for construction projects

Client satisfaction and quality management systems in contractor organizations

The construction industry is predominantly project based and quality is one of the client's prime concerns in their construction projects. Many clients, especially those in the Hong Kong public sector, require their contractors to have a Quality Management System (QMS) certified under ISO9000. Also, several contractors as well as clients themselves voluntarily implemented an ISO9000-based QMS in their respective organizations in order to target the various benefits perceived from such initiative. It was considered timely and worthwhile to explore the effectiveness of ISO9000-based QMSs in the Hong Kong. This paper portrays the key findings from a focused study that relate to the client satisfaction aspects from implementation of the ISO9000-based QMSs in the contractor organizations. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Reforging construction supply chains: A source selection perspective

Establishing synergistic supply chains in general and optimizing source selection in particular play a significant role in the overall success of any construction project. The generic objective of the source selection process is to identify a 'capable' source from among those 'competent' and 'credible' applicants whose performance can be expected to best meet the clients' requirements at an affordable and optimal cost. This paper examines relevant selection processes along different construction supply chain routes such as 'design-bid-build', 'design-build', 'design-build-maintain', 'design-build-operate' and 'build-operate-transfer'. A cross-section of different source selection practices by various clients is also provided for benchmarking and improving current practices, for example, towards enhanced value across each link of the supply chain. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex