The implementation of construction cost index (CCI) in Malaysia

Cost performance is an important criterion in construction industry to determine a project success. In order to enhance the construction cost estimation and cost performance, Construction Cost Index (CCD is introduced. CCI serves as a business cycle measurement in budget preparation, cost modelling and cost forecasting in construction projects lifecycle. Although CCI has been introduced by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) over a decade however the cost performances for construction projects in Malaysia are still remain unsatisfactory. Therefore, this study aims at examining the causal relationship of CCI implementation success factors to address the effectiveness of CCI in Malaysian construction industry. Principal Component Analysis (PCA), ANOVA and T-Test are conducted to examine the factors of implementation of CCI in relation to CCI components. It is found that economic condition and reliability and validity of CCI are the major success criteria in implementing CCI. Also, it is discovered that Malaysian construction industry is ready to adopt CCI to improve the cost estimating performance

Factors affecting the contractor’s mark-up size decision in Malaysia

Construction industry is a competitive industry and the only possible way for a contractor to survive is by winning the tenders and making profit. Therefore, a “right” mark-up size is essential for contractor which to maximum possible profit, at the same time keeping its bid at a competitive level. Hence possessing a sound knowledge of the factors affecting the contractors’ mark-up size decision is imperative in identifying the “right” mark-up size in bidding. Thus, this project is to investigate the factors affecting the mark-up size decision. It seeks to determine the factors affecting the mark-up size decision and analyzes the perceived importance of various factors in different contractor size’s evaluation. The project extent investigates on the current practices in contractors’ mark-up size decision. Questionnaire conducted and distributed to the respondents who are the medium and large-size of contractors in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This finding of project shows that there are top ten important factors affecting mark-up size decision such as overall economy, competition, need for work, size of project, project cash flow, and so on. Besides, the ranking of most influence category of factor were followed by project characteristics, company characteristics, economic situation, project documentation and bidding situation. Finding also indicates that the different of perceived important of factors between medium and large-size contractors’ evaluation. Seven factors which are degree of difficulty, uncertainly in cost estimate, need for work, availability of qualified staff, time allowed submitting bids, bidding document price and risk involved in investment has been highlighted. The finding shows that the most preference mark-up size is 10 % to 15%. Experience, previous record and market survey are commonly practiced by contractors in determining their mark-up size. Unfortunately, the bidding models were not utilized by contractors since they are not sufficient information to effectively use it and the complexity of these models

A conceptual review of social infrastructure projects

Social infrastructure projects (SIP), as the name implies, is defined as those buildings, structures and facilities specifically constructed to serve the community at large. The most apparent form of the social infrastructure projects are hospitals, schools and community facilities. Consequently, the nature of the infrastructure attracts less attention. In a sense, social infrastructure projects are one of the main criteria to enhance the economic productivity. This paper aims to contribute to this overlooked but important research line. There are two objectives of this paper. Semantically, this paper comprehensively reviews the social infrastructure literature from various aspects and applications. Then, it reviews nine journal papers and one conference paper in terms of ontology, epistemology and methodology. The preliminary finding reveals that ontological subjectivism, epistemological interpretivism, and qualitative analysis have dominated the social infrastructure domain. Last sections of this paper discuss the limitations and future research directions. The outcome can be used to improve general understanding of the social infrastructure projects

Conceptualising 4CS in construction project team integration

A construction project team is comprised of personnel from different backgrounds working together to achieve common goals. Integration is necessary so that the team can leverage its collective skills, knowledge and experience to achieve success. However, the benefits of integration have yet to be fully understood and optimised, due to an inconsistent shared vision, poor communication and coordination, and the lack of cooperation and collaboration from team members. This study explores team integration in the construction industry. A new team integration concept of 4Cs (Communication, Coordination, Cooperation and Collaboration) has been developed through a critical review of existing theories. This study contributes to the understanding of complex integration issues in construction project teamwork. The newly conceptualised model can serve as a framework for stakeholders in organising project teamwork and act as a catalyst to improve project performance