Determining The Effects Of Awarding Lowest Bid Price System On The Construction Projects Of Ethiopian Southern Nation

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.

Lessons Learned Framework for Efficient Delivery of Construction Projects in Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has the largest construction market in the gulf region. Nevertheless, the sector faces issues related to inefficiency and ineffectiveness in project delivery. This research aims to explore the impact of current practices across projects lifecycles, and to utilize findings to develop an integrated strategic construction project management framework (ISCPMF) that may pave the way to efficient and effective project implementation. To achieve this objective, the authors have traced the implementation processes of nine projects for data collection. This was based on a deductive approach with preconceived themes. Within-case and cross-case analysis was conducted. The data was complemented by holding three separate focus-group discussions with a total of nineteen participants, and the initial findings were cross-checked with six experts. The deficiencies that surround the pre-construction phase and disconnected activities that are carried out in different timespans represent the first barrier to implement projects successfully. This is coupled with low capacities contractors and non-proactive construction teams that lack a management toolbox to alleviate accumulated issues and control project progress. The unavailability of infrastructure and utilities did not ease construction nor made inspection possible, which led to late occupancy of facilities, waste of resources and failure to deliver the desired benefits effectively. The adoption of ISCPMF will institutionalize and bridge project phases. This may play a vital role in implementing projects efficiently and effectively and building data to benefit future projects. Though the research is limited to higher education facilities, the findings may be generalized to public construction projects.

The Legal Meaning of a Detailed Spatial Plan in the Context of the Fundamental Right of Ownership

The article represents an effort to determine what the legal meaning of a detailed plan is within the context of the fundamental right of ownership. A detailed plan could be understood under Estonian law as a restriction of the fundamental right of ownership or, alternatively, could come under the legal concept of ‘designing the fundamental right of ownership’. The distinction between these two legal concepts is important because they fall under two separate schemes of legal regulation in light of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, which differ from each other considerably. If a detailed plan and the conditions laid down therein fall under the ‘restriction of the fundamental right of ownership’ legal concept, the detailed plan and its conditions must be compliant with the requirements foreseen by the Constitution for any establishment of a restriction to a fundamental right. This question is still unresolved in Estonian law. To aid in finding a solution that addresses the main research question, the article presents answers for the following sub-questions: i) what the legal effect and meaning of a detailed plan is, ii) how to understand the legal concept of ‘restriction of the fundamental right of ownership’ and how to distinguish between that legal concept and the other one, and iii) what the scope of the protection of the fundamental right of ownership is in light of public construction law.

Quantity surveyor's ethical responsiveness on construction projects: issues and solutions

PurposeStudies showed that construction consultants' ethical negligence is a contributing factor to the time and cost over-run of projects. There is limited research on the issues that may have hindered construction consultants' ethical responsiveness during contract administration. Studies regarding influencing factors in the context of Nigeria's quantity surveyors' (QS) ethical responsiveness are rare. Thus, the study aims to investigate the perceived issues and proffers initiatives to promote QSs' ethical responsiveness on construction projects in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachTo determine the perceptions of QS regarding ethical responsiveness, a phenomenologically driven perspective via face-to-face interviews was conducted with 12 senior professionals in Lagos and Abuja that showed interest in participating in the study and were interviewed. A thematic approach was adopted to analyse the collated data.FindingsEconomic, societal and professional issues emerged as the three groups of issues that hindered QS's ethical responsiveness on construction projects in a developing country setting such as Nigeria. Findings show that for ethical responsiveness to be expressed on projects, key stakeholders should be ethically responsible. This is currently missing, especially in public construction projects. Initiatives that can promote key stakeholders' ethical responsiveness on construction projects are examined in this paper.Practical implicationsThe paper embraces an important practical implication because practices associated with QS's unethical responsiveness and behavioural impacts on construction projects were identified. This will stir both the regulatory professional bodies and policymakers to enforce and implement feasible initiatives that can promote key stakeholders' collaborative ethical responsiveness on construction projects.Originality/valueThis paper is amongst the few papers that attempted to uncover issues that hinder QS's ethical responsiveness on construction projects in a developing country setting via a qualitative approach. Since these issues are rampant in developing countries, findings from this paper can be used to promote QS's ethical responsiveness in other nations with similar unethical issues.

Concentration of Bid Prices Just Above the Standard Minimum Price in Public Construction Works

In Japan, contract offices are mandated to set threshold prices for public works. A threshold price is the upper limit of the bid price, and a contractor who exceeds this threshold is disqualified. Furthermore, based on the threshold price, a minimum price is set as a price requiring investigation before acceptance. In recent years, bids and contracts for public works have generally had bid prices concentrated slightly above the standard minimum for investigation. It has been pointed out that this tendency is detrimental in terms of the motivation of engineers and social costs. In this study, we confirm that this tendency was alleviated and that the level of the winning bidder's technical evaluation score was feasible at the same time. In addition, we obtained quantitative findings on variables that affect both above. Furthermore, although it is impossible to achieve a perfect balance between alleviating the tendency of prices to concentrate slightly above the standard minimum for investigation and sufficient technical evaluation scores, elements necessary to improve the overall situation were quantitatively identified.

Concepts and Facts of Late Ottoman Jaffa: Cartographic Records and Archaeological Evidence

The ancient city of Jaffa experienced considerable changes during the 19th century. The effects of warfare, extensive reconstruction and urban expansion turned the Jaffa of 1900 into a markedly different place than the town Napoleon besieged in 1799. Although textual, artistic and photographic records reflect these long-term changes, it is maps drawn by military and civilian European engineers that provide the most comprehensive illustrative testimony.Recent archaeological efforts have, moreover, added yet another perspective to this mosaic of sources. Among the material evidence providing valuable insight into Jaffa's 4000 years of history, data on the later phases of Ottoman rule is particularly intriguing. We now have previously unavailable material confirmation and more detailed records in a higher resolution for urban expansion over farmland and cemeteries, road paving, public construction and the dismantling of fortifications.The joint cartographic and archaeological testimonies offer a more realistic outlook on a period, which, until recently, had been subjectively perceived through military and religious filters, or the critical and often derogatory perspectives of explorers, adventurers and tourists. The challenges the Ottoman authorities faced were numerous and complex; cartographic and archaeological evidence has increased our understanding of the means, investment and planning they employed to maintain control over a thriving and heterogeneous harbor town during a period of profound transformation.

Classification and resolution procedure for disputes in public construction projects

Construction sector, which is associated with approximately two hundred sub-sectors in terms of employment area, plays the role of locomotive sector in economic development of countries. This feature of the sector affects economy directly and indirectly. Despite this positive contribution of the sector, disputes are inevitable between parties –administration and contractor– in a bid, contract and implementation processes, which are parameters of the construction process. Formal judicial process applied for the purpose of resolving disputes encountered in construction projects that the public assumes the role of employer, takes a long time. Therefore, while contractor is exposed to financial losses, administration cannot conclude public investment. In the study; disputes in public construction projects are classified, and proposals preventing disputes are presented. In this scope, firstly, 174 of 10591 disputes submitted to Court of Cassation, and 84 of 102 disputes submitted to Directorate of High Technics Board are selected regarding public construction projects. In the second stage, parameters causing disputes are classified under six main items. Thirdly, reasons of the disputes for each classification are detailed, and then proposals are presented for prevention of the disputes based on FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineers) contract forms. Finally, a resolution procedure is developed for the processes including bid, contract and implementation phases based on FIDIC. By the presented proposals for GCCW (General conditions of construction works) official resolution paths can be reduced to a minimum, and the processes result positively for administration and contractors. It is concluded that the developed procedure is suitable as a practical tool for resolution process of the disputes in the public construction projects.

CALCULATION OF INTERMEDIATE SUPPORTING PARTS OF INSEPARABLE PERFORATED BEAMS IN THE SOFTWARE COMPLEX «LIRA»

Due to the simplicity of design and manufacture, as well as reliability during operation, beams are one of the most common elements used in industrial, civil and public construction. The most rational cross-section of metal beams are rolled I-beams with inclined or parallel inner faces of the shelves, the predominant use of which is due to the value of the core distance, which is twice as much the same value for a rectangular section and almost three times for a round section. This figure is even higher for perforated profiles obtained from conventional rolling beams, which allow you to compose sections with increased values of moments of inertia and moments of resistance without increasing material consumptions. For inseparable beams, an additional significant factor influencing on their bearing capacity, is the structural design of the intermediate support part. The aim of these researches is to study the stress-strain state of inseparable perforated beams of I-beam profile of different heights in areas near the intermediate support, the design of which is made without a transverse stiffening rib placed on the axis of the support, and with unwelded holes to the left and right of the support under the action of evenly distributed load in the software complex "Lira". The objectives of the study are to establish the actual values of stresses and strains in the characteristic cross sections of the inseparable perforated I-beam, which occur on the intermediate support, and perform a comparative analysis of numerical studies obtained in the software complex "Lira" for intermediate support node beams of different heights for actions of different magnitudes of loads. The analysis of the obtained diagrams of normal stresses was carried out, which showed that for the proposed design of the support part of the beam, the cross-sections with holes directly to the left and right of the support are calculated. The conclusion about necessity of carrying out further experimental-theoretical researches of various types of support parts of beams for the purpose of development of a complex technique of their calculation and recommendations on definition of rational scope of application of each of them is formulated.