Costs and Benefits of ISO9000-based Quality Management Systems to Construction Contractors

ISO9000-based Quality Management Systems(QMSs) have been widely applied by manycontractors with a hope to improve the productquality and hence achieve the desiredobjective of client satisfaction. However,setting up and implementing an ISO9000-based QMS is not without cost. Unless thecontractors can benefit from such system, it isunlikely that the senior management ofcontracting firms will commit to implement anISO9000-based QMS. In this paper, the costsof setting up and implementing an ISO9000-based QMS are assessed through aquestionnaire survey. The results arecompared with the benefits attained by thecontractors. It is found that contractors couldbe benefited from the use of ISO9000-basedQMS both tangibly and intangibly. Based on amore conservative estimation of some tangiblebenefits, a basic operational cost-benefit ratioof one to three was derived from the results ofthe survey. Since the latest version ofISO9000 has been fully implemented for anumber of years, the perception of contractorson the benefits gained after theimplementation of ISO9001:2000 is alsoexamined in this paper

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

Digital Twins in AEC Infrastructure and Building Management Systems

The current practice of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) management systems relies on time-consuming, manual methods for data collection, analyzing, and decision-making. This affects the productivity of the industry in all phases: design, construction, operation, and maintenance of their assets. Adoption of innovative technologies is the key solution for the AEC industry to overcome the challenges they face and follow other reinvented industries. Although recent advancements have been proposed for more productive data acquisition and decision support by leveraging digital tools, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the fragmented approach of adoption and the absence of a connected workflow is a barrier. Digital Twin (DT) is a digital presentation of a physical entity that replicates the status and behavior of its physical counterpart. It can help to improve overall system effectiveness and reliable data-informed decisions. However, the concept of DT and its key features is still not well-understood in the AEC industry. Therefore, this paper aims to review and investigate the twinning requirements and characteristics of DT and discuss its structure and potential solutions in terms of AEC infrastructure and buildings assets operations and maintenance systems. The DT concept, main characteristics, and critical considerations for the AEC sector are highlighted and classification for DT levels is introduced and discussed

Navigating the path to construction 4.0: Policies, challenges, and strategies in Malaysian construction industry

Objective - This research introduces the Kaleidoscope Model, which offers a roadmap for policymakers to perform effective changes with the moderating effect of the challenges faced. Methodology - The study employs document analysis and semi-structured interviews for qualitative data through content analysis. Findings - Results highlight that Policy Adoption and Policy Implementation notably influence the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Construction 4.0 policy. It is found that the moderating effect (challenges) does not influence the adoption of the Construction 4.0 policy in the Malaysian construction industry. Novelty - The novelty of this research lies in its provision of a framework, namely the Kaleidoscope Model, designed to facilitate the assessment of the effectiveness of implementing the Construction 4.0 policy in Malaysia. This framework aids policymakers and construction stakeholders in better understanding how to embrace new technologies, ultimately contributing to the realization of policy goals and enhancing effectiveness and efficiency in the construction industry

Reducing rework to enhance project performance levels

Rework in construction projects is referred to as the unnecessary effort of redoing a process or activity that was incorrectly implemented in the first instance. In construction projects, rework can result from an array of factors such as errors, omissions, failures, changes, poor communication and poor coordination. Rework could adversely affect the performance and productivity and ultimately the profit margins as well. For example, some previous studies identified that costs of rework could add around 10% to the total project costs. However, the literature also suggests that rework is mostly unnecessary and avoidable. A pilot study is being conducted in Hong Kong to explore the rework occurrences in the local construction industry. In this paper, some discussions regarding the significance of reducing rework and an overview of rework factors are presented. Also, a structured framework for rework management has been proposed so as to enhance the project performance levels

Contractor selection systems for design-build projects

published_or_final_versionCivil EngineeringDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

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

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

Towards effective management of major hazard facilities

The operators of Major Hazard Facilities (MHFs) have paramount obligation to provide a safe working environment as well as to prevent major accidents. An ongoing research by the authors aims to study specific legislative requirements for the prevention of major accidents in Australia, UK, EU and US with the intent to identify whether they adequately address the prevention of major accidents. Eight major accident cases were selected based on size, consequence and the estimated cost of the accident. Four out of five examples present accidents from the petrochemical industry. The common root causes of accidents across all five examples were compared against common legislation requirements to determine the degree in which legislation addresses the prevention of major accidents. The research methods primarily include extensive literature reviews (e.g. legislations, regulatory arrangements) and knowledge-mining from case-studies on major accidents. The discussions in this paper include: (a) a basic comparison of legislative/ regulatory arrangements for MHFs in industrialised countries (e.g. Australia, UK, US, Europe); (b) brief discussion on goal-setting vs prescriptive legislation and (c) a snapshot summary of lessons learned from case-studies on major accidents

Consequence-based decision making in a risk-based regulated regime

Fifteen contractor staff died in 2005 Texas City accident when a "350 feet" BP company rule was breached. Was the mandated rule adequate or was it a rule overruled by a bias on-site risk-based decision? Is it reasonable for such ineffective rules to override a potentially rational risk-based decision or can a converse overtake option still be acceptable? Whist a risk-based approach admits that risk is inevitable, a consequence-based approach disregards the likelihood of an event and thus rejects the concept of risk, known as a product of consequence and likelihood. Consequence-based decisions are mainly made to eliminate the risk rather than reducing it to an acceptable level. Should senior management in control of major accident/ high hazard facilities adopt any safety strategies based on consequence? How would such strategies differ under a risk based-model using high consequence, low frequency events and demonstrating that the risk is reduced to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) by a reasonable list of preventative and/ or mitigative controls, e.g. as regulated in the Safety Case regime and based on the concept of "duty of care"? A set of discussions from our research are outlined in this paper, which include key findings and comparisons between consequence estimations using the quantity distance rule and risk-based assessments in defining safety strategies in the manufacturing and storage of explosives in Australia