scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities of E-Procurement in the Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansur Hamma-adama ◽  
◽  
Abdul-Basit Sa’eed Ahmad ◽  

Construction Industry is evolving amid the fourth industrial revolution. Transportation, commerce, manufacturing and many other industries ripened the current technological advancement and are striving to utilise every development in the IT sector. The procurement of construction works is known to be very conventional and backward in the adoption of digitalisation. The construction industry's procurement and supply chain are blamed for the most inflated cost of construction projects, mainly attributed to a lack of transparency and trust between the industry stakeholders. This research explores the challenges of E-procurement adoption in the industry and identifies the potential opportunities for its usage. This investigation's data are acquired through interviews, and the data are analysed using qualitative content analysis. This study reveals compounding challenges (i.e., corruption and lack of commitment) that lead to the failure of such efforts in Nigeria and the potential prospects (i.e., transparency and efficiency). This study is essential in developing a more effective and transparent process of procurement so that the Nigerian construction industry is not be left behind in the fast-digitalising markets.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thu Anh Nguyen ◽  
Phong Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Sy Tien Do

The construction industry has played an essential role in the process of modernization and industrialization and it has also been a major factor in determining the development of the infrastructure for other economic sectors. Construction companies consider the measurement of work progress, which often wastes time and has a low resolution, to be one of the most challenging problems faced by project management. Therefore, this research aimed to propose practical solutions by applying recent technological achievements of the 4.0 industrial revolution to improve the efficiency of the quantity management process. By utilizing the advantages and features of a BIM model and 3D laser scanning, this paper proposes that adopting a BIM model and 3D laser scanning has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the quantity management process. The case study demonstrated some typical tasks to evaluate accuracy and efficiency as well as to showcase the research proposal.


Author(s):  
Mathieu Fokwa Soh ◽  
Daniel Barbeau ◽  
Sylvie Doré ◽  
Daniel Forgues

AbstractRequest for information (RFI) is a formal process used in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry to address design flaws that affect communication between designers and contractors. A large number of RFIs are a sign of a lack of precision or coordination in the design documents. However, RFIs produce rich, precise, and structured information. Analyzing their content can help to identify recurring problems between designers and construction teams and better tailor future projects to the working context of the contractors. This article presents a method for identifying recurring issues during the design phase of steel construction projects through the analysis of the contents of RFIs. It is original in using a qualitative content analysis tool that can analyze large quantities of RFIs rapidly. Identifying the recurrent problems of contractors will allow the establishment of rules to be taken into consideration during the design phase of future steel construction projects. A case study of 26 steel construction projects demonstrates the feasibility of this method. This case study shows that, given the same designers and construction teams, recurring problems shown in RFIs do not differ according to the scale of the projects. In this case, the main issue between designers and contractors is the lack and inadequate presentation of information related to the connection of steel components. Identifying these problems can pave the way for initiatives to improve the design phase and can be an essential step in making contractors’ knowledge available to designers early in the projects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 00057
Author(s):  
Xeniya Malinina ◽  
Juriy Shamara ◽  
Zhanna Petukhova

In this article we carry out the analysis of the possible directions and consequences of transformations of the existing models for implementation of investment-construction projects in relation with integration of information technologies and the construction industry in modern Russia. Such integration is considered as the most useful tool to solve such chronicle problems of the construction industry as low quality of works, missed deadlines and sustaining the best ratio “price-quality” for the customer. The basis for such integration is the technologies of informational modeling of construction objects. We investigated two basic models: disintegrated purchases and integrated purchases whose transformation will be directed towards development of mechanisms of partnership between participants of investment-construction projects, expanded use of “integrated” contracts in the system of state purchases of construction works and further centralization of control in the system of construction for state purposes.


Author(s):  
Ajit Ambekar

Productivity is important in construction. Construction productivity is a significant part of production for construction projects. In the construction industry, many external and internal factors are never constant and difficult to predict. This factor leads to a constant change in productivity. It is necessary to make sure that the reduction of construction productivity does not affect the plan and work schedule and does not cause delays. The consequences of these delays can lead to serious loss of money. In addition, significant costs can be saved if productivity is improved, as the same work can be done with less labor, thereby reducing the total cost of construction.


Author(s):  
Lucien El Asmar ◽  
Namho Cho ◽  
Mounir El Asmar

The construction industry results in a large amount of material waste, most of which currently ends up in landfills. This study aims to find new ways to reuse waste materials captured as outputs of construction projects. First, the circular economy (CE) concept is explored. Second, the application of CE as a potential solution for minimizing material waste on construction projects is investigated. To achieve a healthy industrial metabolism, the paper illustrates how a complex industrial ecosystem is one that produces little or no waste and whose constituents can be interdependent. Output ratios from the construction industry are compared with previous literature on material waste, as a foundation to present a cycle of material reuse. Reformulating the traditional input-output system into a more circular concept presents a set of challenges; however, the opportunities and significant impacts to the material cycles and landfills have proven beneficial and some major cities are starting to employ this concept with great success.


2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-39
Author(s):  
Ting Sim Nee ◽  
Chin Lin Wei

Construction contract refers to an agreement which in enforced by law; standard form is printed form of contract to define responsibilities to various parties involved to complete the construction works. Malaysian construction industry relies essentially on a number of standard forms namely the JKR Sarawak Form of Contract, PWD 203A, PAM, IEM and CIDB forms to execute its construction projects. However, with the number of choices available and without a clear selection guide, selection of an appropriate standard form for the particular projects has hinged on the familiarity of the form users with the particular form. This study aims to identify the selection criteria that can be used for standard form selection. The study form looks into the current practice and how decisions are made to select the appropriate standard form. Selection criteria are identified and this research carried out verification works with local construction industry players via questionnaire survey method. Results from questionnaire survey also indicated that standard forms are usually predetermined by the client in tender stage. It is also shown that some of the respondents have limited exposure to certain standard forms of contract. With the selection criteria identified, it is hopeful that a selection guideline can be developed.


Author(s):  
Raza Ali Khan ◽  
Muhammad Umer

It is widely believed that construction sector helps developing aggregate economy and reducing unemployment. Currently, Pakistan is experiencing a major transformational phase in the back drop of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is valued at US$ 62 Billion. The present study is undertaken to ascertain the impact of time overrun of projects on their cost, the correlation between stakeholders and to predict the effect of delays on cost overruns. Causes of delays are identified by stakeholders of the construction industry of Pakistan. Two models for projects that had delay less and greater than 100 days are developed. Structured questionnaires and personal interviews are carried out to extract primary data for the study. Relative Importance Index (RII) was utilized for ranking of delay causes, and Pearson’s correlation to formulate correlation between causes of delays and cost of construction projects from the perspective of client, contractors and consultants. For predicting the impact of delays on cost of projects Linear Regression technique has been used. The results reveal that the causes of delay related to design, procurement and on-site has significant impact on delays. Pearson’s result indicates strong covenant between client and contractor. Whereas, there is a weak degree of association between consultant and contractor. Results from linear regression concluded that there is a significant effect of delay on cost of the project.


2022 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-260
Author(s):  
Ashenafi Reta ◽  
◽  
Ashebir Alyew ◽  

Identifying the effects of low bid award system in construction projects can be used as benchmark to find alternative method to low bid award system in the future of construction industry. The results of questioner survey conducted to determine the effects of awarding lowest bid award system in construction projects of Ethiopian southern nation are presented in this study. Personnel from consultants, owners and contractors are among the survey`s respondent. The result of the study outlines promote transparency, avoid fraud and corruption, promoting competition amongst contractors, excessive time overrun, compromise quality and hindering profitability of contractors as the top ranked effects of low bid award system. Construction industry participants have started recognizing that accepting the least price bid does not guarantee maximum value. Achieving a value-based procurement approach is a challenge, particularly for the Pakistani public sector clients, who are limited in their ability to evaluate the competitive bids based solely on the lowest-bid award system. Persisting problems of inferior quality of constructed facilities, high incidence of claims and litigation, and frequent cost and schedule overruns have become the main features of public construction works contracts. This research was undertaken to assess the performance of public owned construction projects awarded on a lowest bidder bid awarding system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Rajarshi Ghimire ◽  
Seungtaek Lee ◽  
Jin Ouk Choi ◽  
Jin-Yeol Lee ◽  
Yong-Cheol Lee

The use of a 4D schedule as technological advancement has brought significant improvement to the planning and execution of construction projects, through visualizing step-wise construction progress, following a sequence of pre-planned activities, and finalizing a baseline schedule with necessary changes. Moreover, the application of immersive virtual reality (IVR) to create an interactive 4D BIM schedule of a planned structure has made it possible to create a detailed plan of any construction project. Because of these benefits, the use of 4D schedules and immersive virtual reality in the construction industry has increased, leading to improved planning and execution. However, past studies have given little attention to the applications of such technologies on modular projects. Thus, this research applied a 4D schedule, along with immersive virtual reality, on a modular project, and verified their benefits and effectiveness. The results showed that most of the participants who experienced a 4D BIM schedule, along with immersive virtual reality (4D/IVR), strongly agreed that it is an easy and straightforward way to visualize the project, understand the schedule, and find any errors. Moreover, while fewer than half of the participants scheduled the assembly sequence correctly with conventional schedule and 2D drawings, almost all of them sequenced the assembly successfully with 4D/IVR. Based on the findings, this research concludes that the implementation of a 4D BIM schedule, along with virtual reality technology, can enhance the fabrication and assembly performance of modules.


Author(s):  
Fatemeh Nouban ◽  
Serah Onuh John

Managing health and safety on construction sites has always been a challenging issue faced by the Nigerian construction industry. Safety conditions on the construction sites depends on type or nature of work to be carried out and the management make commitment to implement safety projects concerning construction. There are no requirements assigned for implementing a security management system by the Nigerian government. Construction industries lacked a framework to implement security regarding projects on construction sites. Developing a Safety Framework can help professionals involved in carrying out construction works, implement and improve safety practices in executing their projects on sites. This study presents the development of a structure for implementing an effective health security on construction sites. An extensive review of the literature was carried out to design an appropriate security framework. The results underscore the requirement for competent personnel who must be appointed to ensure safety on construction sites. Finally, a security framework was developed in which companies can accept and adhere. The results of this research will help Nigerian construction companies to improve safety on construction sites.


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