scholarly journals Hiring an External Advisor Hydrology at Water Board De Dommel

Author(s):  
Bas Plehn

Best value PIPS has been introduced in the Netherlands in the procurement of construction systems. The Water Board De Dommel utilized best value PIPS to select engineering consultant services. The test differed from other Dutch tests in that the PIPS process used the pre-award phase before the award phase. The best value selection of engineers also proposes that design firms can compete on value (price and performance). The engineering selection process was much closer to the original BVP/PIPS than the construction phases. The major lesson learned is the BVP/PIPS is a paradigm shift. The success of the test led to the recommendation of more professional services using BVP/PIPS.

Author(s):  
Khloud Alshaikh ◽  
Naela Bahurmuz ◽  
Ola Torabah ◽  
Sara Alzahrani ◽  
Zainab Alshingiti ◽  
...  

In Saudi Arabia, all high school graduates who want join local universities have to go through a preparatory year before selecting their specific specialization/major. One of the most concerning issues for those fresh undergraduate college students is the selection of their specialization. College specialization selection is critical for them, as their academic and career future will be affected by this decision. An un-suitable specialization selection will have unfortunate consequences, not only on the students' future but also on the university’s resources and budget. This paper sug-gests a solution to this problem by introducing a preliminary study of a recommend-er system (RS), which will recommend the appropriate specialization for the students based on various tests and grades during the preparatory year at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). The proposed system guides students through their specialization selection process based on their abilities. The collaborative filtering technique was used to build the RS and K-fold cross-validation was adopted to evaluate its accura-cy and performance. The results showed the prediction of a specialization for each student with good accuracy ratio. These promising initial results provide a feasible solution to assess this issue further in future studies.


Author(s):  
Jannie Koster-Robaard

The water board Velt en Vecht is a Best Value (BV) client who used the Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS) process to select professional services in 2012. The client had a procurement mission of integrity, transparency, objectivity, and non-discrimination that aligned them with the BV PIPS system. With a strategic plan of leadership instead of management and control, the water board is an example of a visionary owner that can be successful with BV PIPS. Lessons learned from the water board implementation of PIPS are that BV PIPS is a change of paradigm, even for a visionary owner. Both the owner who selects and the contractors who compete for the award must learn the new paradigm of minimized decision making, proactive planning, and risk management.


Author(s):  
Elske Bosma ◽  
Marcus Van der Ven ◽  
Oscar Kerkhoven ◽  
Dean Kashiwagi ◽  
Isaac Kashiwagi

The Best Value (BV) environment was introduced into the Netherlands in 2006. By 2008 testing was being done by a partnership of Arizona State University and Scenter (Sicco Santema, professor from Delft University). In 2010, the first significant test of the BV approach was done by the Rijkswaterstaat to deliver the $1B fast track infrastructure projects, and by 2015, the BV approach had become the “buzzword” of procurement and the professional procurement organization NEVI. However, in the delivery of professional engineering services, larger, more traditional services which were built on a system of relationships between clients and vendors, clients controlling the expert, and the importance of “billable man-hours”. The transition from a traditional approach to a BV approach is very challenging. Large traditional professional organizations naturally will have more difficulty adapting to the new approach. The BV approach utilized the expertise of experts to replace the need for relationships and owner management, direction and control (MDC). It also places less value on traditional practices that have been used by professional services to get business (relationships and working together with the client in a trust based relationship). The study captures the efforts of a very successful engineering firm (the second largest in the Netherlands) as they attempt to become successful in this new approach. The Best Value team that they have put together has had outstanding results in using the BV approach to changing their paradigm.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 3151
Author(s):  
Miroslaw Wielgosz ◽  
Marzena Malyszko

The authors discuss currently conducted research aimed at improving the planning and performance of search and rescue (SAR) operations at sea. The focus is on the selection of surface units in areas of high traffic density. A large number of ships in the area of distress can make the process of selection of best suited vessels longer. An analysis of features which may render a vessel unsuitable for the job, depending on the area and type of operation, has been conducted. Criteria of assessment and selection of ships have been described, preceded by an expert analysis. The selection process has been made using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The authors propose to apply officially available data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS)—a sensor for the ECDIS and other electronic chart systems—in the analysis of the availability of ships. Algorithms filtering available units have been built and applied in a simulation, using real AIS data, of one of the most common types of SAR operations. The method is proposed as an enhancement of decision support systems in maritime rescue services.


Author(s):  
Lars Claassen ◽  
Arjan Roodhorst ◽  
Isaac Kashiwagi

The Best Value Approach (BVA) has been used as a method to procure and manage services. As the BVA is further proliferated, there are applications of the BVA which deviate from the standard approach which are labeled as hybrid processes. This research focuses on better understanding BVA hybrid projects and the implications that may arise with such deviations. Using case study research, the BVA was used to procure services for the construction of ships. The research findings show the impact of hybrid applications of the BVA including (1) the selection of suppliers based on decision making instead of expertise (2) attempts to share and transfer risk, (3) incomplete clarification phase planning by expert suppliers, and (4) incomplete use of the Weekly Risk Report and Director’s report to track project deviation. The resulting hybrid application was found to have increased costs, increased decision making, and created a non-transparent environment. Suggestions have been made to improve upon these areas by applying the BVA structure including a selection process to identify expertise and a project management process which utilizes the supplier’s expertise to create a structure of transparency through performance metrics.


Author(s):  
J. Pollinger ◽  
B. Busovne ◽  
M. Meiser ◽  
J. Nick

A wide variety of silicon nitride structural ceramic components are currently being developed and evaluated for advanced heat engine applications. The size, geometry, and performance requirements of these components are the criteria driving the selection of the appropriate forming process and densification process. The different forming and densification processes have unique forming and resulting property advantages and limitations which must be considered during the selection process. Specific heat engine component applications, including gas turbine components such as hot section wheels and stators, and internal combustion engine cam rollers will be discussed and the rationale for selection of the material, forming process, and densification process will be presented. Performance of the components will be related to the material, forming, and densification techniques used. The forming techniques discussed are slip casting, injection molding, and compaction/ isostatic pressing. The densification techniques discussed are sintering, sinter-HIP, and glass-encapsulation-HIP.


2016 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. 4-10

AbstractImmunosuppression permits graft survival after transplantation and consequently a longer and better life. On the other hand, it increases the risk of infection, for instance with cytomegalovirus (CMV). However, the various available immunosuppressive therapies differ in this regard. One of the first clinical trials using de novo everolimus after kidney transplantation [1] already revealed a considerably lower incidence of CMV infection in the everolimus arms than in the mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) arm. This result was repeatedly confirmed in later studies [2–4]. Everolimus is now considered a substance with antiviral properties. This article is based on the expert meeting “Posttransplant CMV infection and the role of immunosuppression”. The expert panel called for a paradigm shift: In a CMV prevention strategy the targeted selection of the immunosuppressive therapy is also a key element. For patients with elevated risk of CMV, mTOR inhibitor-based immunosuppression is advantageous as it is associated with a significantly lower incidence of CMV events.


Author(s):  
Soraya Masthura Hasan ◽  
T Iqbal Faridiansyah

Mosque architectural design is based on Islamic culture as an approach to objects and products from the Islamic community by looking at their suitability and values and basic principles of Islam that explore more creative and innovative ideas. The purpose of this system is to help the team and the community in seeing the best mosque in the top order so that the system can be used as a reference for the team and the community. The variables used in the selection of modern mosques include facilities and infrastructure, building structure, roof structure, mosque area, level of security and facilities. The system model used is a fuzzy promethee model that is used for the modern mosque selection process. Fuzzy inference assessment is used to determine the value of each variable so that the value remains at normal limits. Fuzzy values will then be included in promethee assessment aspects. The highest promethee ranking results will be made a priority for the best mosque ranking. This fuzzy inference system and promethee system can help the management team and the community in determining the selection of modern mosques in aceh in accordance with modern mosque architecture. Intelligent System Modeling System In Determining Modern Mosque Architecture in the City of Aceh, this building will be web based so that all elements of society can see the best mosque in Aceh by being assessed by all elements of modern mosque architecture.Keywords: Fuzzy inference system, Promethe, Option of  Masjid


Author(s):  
Chaochao Lin ◽  
Matteo Pozzi

Optimal exploration of engineering systems can be guided by the principle of Value of Information (VoI), which accounts for the topological important of components, their reliability and the management costs. For series systems, in most cases higher inspection priority should be given to unreliable components. For redundant systems such as parallel systems, analysis of one-shot decision problems shows that higher inspection priority should be given to more reliable components. This paper investigates the optimal exploration of redundant systems in long-term decision making with sequential inspection and repairing. When the expected, cumulated, discounted cost is considered, it may become more efficient to give higher inspection priority to less reliable components, in order to preserve system redundancy. To investigate this problem, we develop a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) framework for sequential inspection and maintenance of redundant systems, where the VoI analysis is embedded in the optimal selection of exploratory actions. We investigate the use of alternative approximate POMDP solvers for parallel and more general systems, compare their computation complexities and performance, and show how the inspection priorities depend on the economic discount factor, the degradation rate, the inspection precision, and the repair cost.


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