World Construction Symposium

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item: Conference-Abstract
Accuracy of traditional contingency estimation in the construction industry
(2021-07) Jeyananthan, N; Shandraseharan, A; Kulatunga, U
Contingency amounts are allocated in the construction projects to deal with uncertainties arising during the projects. Contingency amounts are usually estimated traditionally by simply adding a percentage of the estimated contract amount. However, the traditional system of contingency estimation is heavily criticised as ineffective due to several reasons. Therefore, this research focuses on evaluating the level of accuracy of current contingency estimation techniques in the Sri Lankan context. This study adopted a mixed-method research approach. Empirical data were collected using expert interviews and questionnaire survey. Data collected from the expert interviews were analysed using manual content analysis. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire survey data. Findings revealed that inexpensiveness is the highly motivating factor for the rigid usage of the traditional method to estimate contingency in the Sri Lankan context. Estimated contract amount, procurement method, payment method, and type of client were identified as highly influencing factors in contingency estimation. Finally, the hypothesis test of this study revealed that the traditional contingency estimation is ineffective. Since the traditional contingency estimation proved ineffective and highly inaccurate, experts in the industry should consider a flexible alternative approach in contingency estimation to improve the accuracy of the contingency amount.
item: Conference-Abstract
Analysing the gap between predicted and actual operational energy consumption in buildings: a review
(2021-07) Rajithan, M; Soorige, D; Amarasinghe, SDIA
Operational energy consumption in buildings has a crucial impact on global energy consumption. Nevertheless, significant energy savings can be achieved in buildings if properly designed, constructed, and operated. Building Energy Simulation (BES) plays a vital role in the design and optimisation of buildings. BES is used to compare the cost-effectiveness of energy-conservation measures in the design stage and assess various performance optimisation measures during the operational phase. However, there is a significant ‘performance gap’ between the predicted and the actual energy performance of buildings. This gap has reduced the trust and application of the BES. This article focused on investigating BES, reasons that lead to a performance gap between predicted and actual operational energy consumption of buildings, and the ways of minimising the gap. The article employed a comprehensive literature review as the research methodology. Findings revealed that reasons such as limited understanding of the building design, the complexity of the building design, poor commissioning, occupants’ behaviour, etc., influence the energy performance gap. After that, the strategies have been identified to minimise the energy performance gap such as proper commissioning, creating general models to observe occupants’ behaviour in buildings, and using the general models for energy simulation, ensuring better construction and quality through training and education, etc. Further, the findings of this study could be implemented by practitioners in the construction industry to effectively use energy simulation applications in designing energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.
item: Conference-Abstract
Analysis of feasibility of blockchain technology for international trade related to Sri Lankan construction industry
(2021-07) Weerakoon, HD; Chandanie, H
Sri Lankan (SL) construction industry has been trading with overseas suppliers to fulfil the need for material and technology. This process faces many issues due to the poor digitalisation of the industry. The financial flow of international trade is dominated by financial institutions (i.e., banks) and the industry faces many issues e.g., delays, additional charges, complexity, lack of information sharing, and requiring legal assistance. Blockchain Technology (BCT) has emerged as a revolutionary digital technology in the past decade. Key features of BCT i.e., immutability, decentralisation, distributed ledgers, enhanced security, consensus, and speed have been identified to provide solutions for issues in the various industries including the supply chain. Hence this paper aims to investigate the feasibility of using BCT to solve existing issues in financial flow with special reference to the barriers to adopt it in the international trade of the Sri Lankan construction industry. As the data collection method, an expert opinion forum was carried out by involving both international trade experts and blockchain specialists in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Key findings present that BCT can solve issues such as transparency issues and poor information sharing between parties, excessive documentation and complexities, payment delays, and financial costs in the international trade of the SL construction industry. Further, findings revealed that the government’s approval, legal requirements, lack of knowledge and technology, and reluctance to change the industry can act as barriers to adopt BCT in Sri Lank
item: Conference-Abstract
Applicability of blockchain technology to manage financial issues in the Sri Lankan construction industry
(2021-07) Kosala, H; Francis, M; Sirimewan, D
The construction industry is one of the largest industries in any country, contributing significantly to economic growth. A range of researchers explained that the construction industry suffered from numerous issues where financial issues are more critical. Late payments, cash flow issues, and lack of security of the payment are some of them. Blockchain technology shows a potential use for managing financial activities. Therefore, this research tends to investigate the applicability of blockchain technology to manage financial issues in the Sri Lankan construction industry. A comprehensive literature survey was carried out to assess the concept of blockchain technology and identified financial issues in the construction industry. A qualitative expert opinion survey was conducted with eight construction experts who had knowledge of the blockchain technology, selected through purposive sampling to collect data in a Sri Lankan context. The collected data was analysed using the content analysis method. The findings of the expert interviews indicated that faster transactions would help to reduce late payments; removing third parties from the transaction will reduce the involvement of many parties in the transaction process; and trust, security, transparency will help to increase foreign investments. Further, the lack of knowledge in the area, legal and tax issues, low investment, and social issues will be the challenges in adopting blockchain technology to the construction industry. The research finally suggests the ways to overcome such challenges in terms of using pilot projects, government rules and regulation. Thus, the research proposes that use of blockchain technology could minimise a significant number of financial issues in the construction industry.
item: Conference-Abstract
Applicability of leed requirements to achieve water efficiency in Sri Lankan hotel industry
(2021-07) Damsari, AGU; Sridarran, P; Abdeen, FN
LEED is an universally used green ranking system in the world. Among the six evaluation factors it specifically focuses on water use reduction, water efficient landscaping and innovative wastewater technologies. LEED provides a structure or collection of metrics to determine the water efficiency level that a building can achieve. Most of the hotels worldwide are inclined towards gaining LEED certification which is prompted by the higher volumes of water consumption in the facility. LEED is a US created rating system and the most categories of LEED certification are built according to the US aspects. Being an Asian country, Sri Lankan hoteliers also attempt to obtain LEED certification to their hotels with the motive of becoming in order to be more efficient. However, some of LEED requirements under the water efficiency category does not match the Sri Lankan hotel industry requirements. Therefore, the aim of the study to identify whether the LEED requirements under the water efficiency can be applied to Sri Lankan hotel industry. To accomplish the aim, literature synthesis was conducted to explore the water efficiency practices used by LEED certified hotels in other countries. A qualitative research methodology was subsequently adopted, directing semi-structured interviews with two LEED certified hotels in Sri Lanka to identify the LEED practices used in Sri Lankan hotel industry. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyse the collected data. Finally, a framework was developed to compare and contrast the water efficiency practices used in LEED certified hotels in other countries and Sri Lanka.
item: Conference-Abstract
Applicability of polymer building materials for productivity enhancement and cost reduction in Sri Lankan building industry
(2021-07) Wijeratne, SD; Devapriya, KAK; Gallage, SD
Building construction contributes to a substantial consumption of raw materials compared to other sectors in Sri Lanka. Despite the excessive consumption of raw materials, industry is suffering due to low productivity and economic inefficiency. Thus, the circumstance has led to employ alternative building materials to overcome productivity and cost inefficiency with favourable impacts on sustainability. Polymer has become a global phenomenon with increasing demand as sustainable alternative. Polymer facilitates multiple applications in building construction due to its supreme properties and characteristics. Thus, this research focused develop a quantitative model based on factors related to productivity enhancement and cost reduction to measure the applicability of polymer materials in Sri Lankan building construction. A mixed approach consisting of semi structured interviews followed by a questionnaire survey was adapted for conduct this study. 12 experts were selected for the semi structured interviews and 34 respondents participated for the questionnaire survey. The significance of favourable impact to the productivity and cost efficiency of using polymer materials have been identified in the study. The study discussed the applicability of polymer types in building sector in Sri Lanka and derived resulted in a quantitative model to measure applicability of polymer adoption in the terms of productivity and cost related factors. Study concluded that inherent properties of polymers, buildability, ability to prefabricate, life cycle cost, handling would improve the applicability to local context. Further, relationship identified through the regression model would assist practitioners to select polymer materials while enabling researchers to improve the quality of the products.
item: Conference-Abstract
Assessing the carbon emission reduction by grid-tied photovoltaic (pv) technology for buildings in Sri Lanka
(2021-07) Ganegodage, LH; Waidyasekara, KGAS; Mallawaarachchi, H
Energy related carbon emission of buildings is a major cause of global warming. In order to mitigate energy related carbon emission, buildings tend to adopt renewable energy technologies. Amongst renewable energy technologies, grid-tied PV technology has gained the interest of building energy consumers as an alternative energy source. Nevertheless, there is considerably low implementation of grid-tied PV technology in Sri Lanka, especially as a carbon reduction strategy. A key reason for lack of implementation of grid-tied PV system is that majority of buildings still depend on traditional energy sources for their total energy needs. Hence, there is a need of highlighting the importance of grid-tied PV system to penetrate the existing traditional energy market. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the possible energy related carbon reduction of grid-tied PV system for buildings in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, total of four (4) buildings were selected as case studies, including two buildings with grid-tied PV technology and two other buildings that are totally dependent on traditional energy sources. Subsequently, carbon footprint assessment was conducted to four (4) buildings specifying to energy related carbon emitting activities. And research findings revealed that selected two buildings with grid-Tied PV technology achieve an average reduction of carbon by 3379.77kg and 3013.06kg respectively per month compared to traditional-energy buildings. Consequently, this work has successfully identified that buildings with grid-tied PV technology achieve a reduction in energy related carbon emission compared to buildings with traditional energy sources.
item: Conference-Abstract
Assuring sustainable construction at project feasibility stage in Sri Lanka
(2021-07) Senanayake, GPDP; Chandanie, H
Construction activity is commonly considered to have adverse impacts on the environment, which is the basis of sustainable development for human being. Further, sustainability should be addressed mostly in developing countries, such as Sri Lanka, where a considerable amount of construction works is currently in progress and remain to emerge in the future. It is considered that the proper development and operation of a construction project can make significant contribution to the mission of sustainable development. However, the existing difficulty is the lack of the guidance for implementing sustainable development principles in construction industry. Therefore, this research intends to bring the necessity of mandated project feasibility studies as a guideline for sustainable development in the Sri Lankan Context. The research aim was approached through a qualitative survey strategy. To solicit the perceptions of experts on the identified sustainability performance criteria, a semi-structured interview survey was conducted. Ten experts were selected through purposive sampling strategy, who had experience in sustainable construction and project feasibility evaluation criteria. The manual content analysis method was used to analyse the collected data. Findings of the research revealed that though numerous sustainability assessment tools are being practised, there is a failure in sustainable construction in the current context. Thus, the minimum sustainability requirements were identified under the three pillars of sustainability, aiming to develop the project feasibility study as a guideline and to ensure sustainability performance from the project inception stage. These findings are helpful for industry practitioners especially the project owners to initiate a sustainable construction with concerted actions of all project stakeholders to safeguarding the future.
item: Conference-Abstract
Barriers in implementing sustainable piling construction practices in Sri Lanka
(2021-07) Kumara, HPSGS; Zainudeen, N; Jayasanka, TADK; Waidyasekara4, KGAS
The construction of pile foundation is a multifaceted activity among rest of the construction activities that are performed by heavy machines, materials, and energy sources generating substantial amount of CO2 and greenhouse gases along with many other forms of environmental pollution. Sustainable piling construction guarantees that the whole piling process meets environmental sustainability and ultimately human health and wellbeing. Many countries around the world, including United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, are in the forefront of reengineering piling construction activities. Implementation of sustainable practices in piling construction Sri Lanka is still at a low level. Succinctly, several hindrances and barriers can be identified when adopting sustainable piling construction practices. Hence, the aim of this paper is to identify the environmental impact due to the current piling construction practices in Sri Lanka and to investigate barriers in implementing sustainable piling construction practices. A questionnaire survey was conducted among thirty (30) experts in piling construction. Significant barriers were identified using the relative importance index technique in data analysis. The findings revealed that among the ten (10) barriers identified, cost overrun and poor pile design, investment risk, lack of awareness of sustainable techniques and technologies as the top three (3) barriers in implementing sustainable piling construction practices. The study clearly identified the need for improving sustainability practices that can also enhance cost-effectiveness and performance efficiency. Findings of this study will be useful in formulating strategies to overcome the barriers and improve sustainability practices in the local construction industry.
item: Conference-Abstract
Barriers in practicing life cycle costing techniques experienced by Sri Lankan quantity surveyors
(2021-07) Sandaruwan, IPT; Chandanie, H; Janardana, JAB
Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is a tool, which can evaluate all the building-related costs over a specified period of time, as mentioned in the agreed scope. Though there are number of benefits, LCC practices of consultants in the building industry are claimed to be weak. Hence, the aim of this research is to investigate barriers in practicing LCC techniques experienced by Sri Lankan quantity surveyors. Accordingly, a mixed approached was followed in data collection through a questionnaires survey and a series of expert interviews. However, in Sri Lanka, building construction consultants are not practicing the LCC concept to a greater extent. This research identified, lack of awareness on the LCC tool by employers and practitioners, lack of knowledge on LCC and lack of previous data as the major barriers for practicing LCC techniques in local context. It was suggested that enhancing the practice of LCC through conducting various awareness programme on LCC concept, build up and maintain the proper database and introducing user friendly tools, applications, calculations methods, guidelines and regulations, will lead to avoid above mentioned barriers, which will ultimately enhance the proper practice of LCC concept in the Sri Lankan quantity surveyors.
item: Conference-Abstract
Challenges and issues of environmental protection instruments related to infrastructure development projects in Sri Lanka
(2021-07) Wijerathna, BVMK; Abeynayake, MDTE
The construction industry is required to improve sustainability to increase the rapid growth of the economy of Sri Lanka. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has introduced Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) survey, Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), and Environmental Protection License (EPL) as environmental protection instruments that have been correlated with construction projects. To interrupt the smooth performance of the EIA, IEE, and EPL, many challenges have been associated with these procedures. The research problem was approached through six preliminary interviews to refine the identified challenges and issues related to EIA, IEE and EPL with their processes within the Sri Lankan context. Based on the preliminary interview results, forty questionnaires were distributed to investigate the level of significance of the challenges and issues with regard to EIA, IEE, and EPL related to development projects. For this research, mixed research approach is used. Collected data were analysed in terms of statistical analysis and content analysis using NVivo 12 software respectively. The analysed data were revealed different issues of EIA, IEE, and EPL instruments in Sri Lanka. Especially challenges related to regulatory bodies were identified. According to the research, there were many adverse effects due to the ineffective implementation of environmental protection regulatory instruments. Similarly, it revealed that issues were affected to the time, cost, and quality of the construction projects. Ultimately, it provided proper guidance for implementing EIA, IEE, and EPL instruments and the necessity of implementation of a post-monitoring mechanism for environmental protection instruments.
item: Conference-Abstract
The Choice of project governance modes to minimise contractors’ opportunistic behaviour
(2021-07) Arsecularatne, BP; Sandanayake, YG
In this era of globalisation and fierce competition among businesses, contractors in the construction industry often tend to engage in opportunistic behaviour to gain more benefits at the expense of owners. The past researchers have defined contractors’ opportunistic behaviour (COB) as the behaviour of the contractor that is motivated to pursue self-interests at the expense of the client. The researchers in this field have identified project governance (PG), which considered as management of project management can be used to minimise the COB. Trust and formal control are the major PG modes that are used in the global construction industry. However, there is a dearth of research that identified the suitable PG modes to minimise the effects of COB in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Hence, this study aims to investigate the PG modes that can be used to minimise the effects of COB. Accordingly, qualitative research approach was adopted to achieve the research aim. A comprehensive literature review followed by case studies was conducted to investigate the synergy between the concepts. Information gathered were subjected to content analysis. This study revealed that formal control and combination of trust and formal control as the most suitable PG modes for Sri Lankan construction industry. The research further identified the factors that affect the COB namely, contractors focus on revenue maximisation, external uncertainties, contractual complexity, and dynamic complexity. The study further highlighted the importance of minimising COB to help minimise conflicts and reduce the financial losses incur for project stakeholders. Keywords: Construction industry;
item: Conference-Abstract
Climate change challenges facing Sri Lanka : a literature review
(2021-07) Dasandara, SPM; Kulatunga, U; Ingirige, MJB; Fernando, T
The earth’s climate has changed throughout history and climate change can be identified as an inevitable phenomenon which is being experienced by the whole world. When considering the Sri Lankan context, it is no different to the global context in that the country’s climate has already changed. Sri Lanka, being an island state, is vulnerable to many climate change impacts including high-temperature levels, adverse weather events, sea level rising, and changes in precipitation patterns. The many challenges that arise from these climate-related issues are projected to continue through this century and beyond. Thus, climate change mitigation and adaptation have become the most appropriate ways to restrain these climate change challenges in Sri Lanka. It is paramount to get a broad understanding of how disastrous these climate change challenges are, prior to implementing appropriate responses to overcome them. This urges the need for conducting an in-depth investigation of prevailing climate change challenges in Sri Lanka. Thus, this study presents the prevailing climate change challenges facing Sri Lanka through a conceptual framework, that has been developed based on the existing literature. The developed framework reveals how these prevailing climate changes can lead to a number of challenges. These challenges were identified under three main categories as economic, social, and environmental challenges. The knowledge generated through this literature review will be the focus of future research.
item: Conference-Full-text
Comparison between the terms constructability and buildability : a systematic literature review
(2021-07) Wimalaratne, PLI; Kulathunga, U; Gajendran, T
Buildability deals with the optimal integration of construction expertise at various project stages to achieve the overall project goals. Incorporation of buildability improves the construction project performance in terms of its cost, quality, productivity, safety, and results early completion. Thus, having a sound understanding of buildability concept is paramount for finding solutions for transforming current practices towards successful project deliveries. The numerous past studies reviewing the concept of buildability in the past have highlighted the interchangeability of the terms “constructability” and “buildability”. However, in some studies, these two terms contradict rather than considered similar. Moreover, the application of the concept of buildability is widely discussed during the design phase while some studies recommend it to be applied in the construction phase. Thus, there is no clear consensus on the clarity of the key constructs of these terms or when to apply buildability. This paper aims to systematically review the application of the concepts “buildability” and “constructability” in the construction sector and compare the definitions to understand the key constructs and best phase of the construction project for its applicability. A structured literature review covering indexed publications from 2011-2021 was carried out to identify the existing literature. Following a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) technique, a total of 38 out of 162 research contributions have been considered for an in-depth analysis. The choice of interpretations, comments, statements, perspectives, and definitions used in 38 studies were examined. The study identified the key constructs of two terms and recommends applying buildability throughout the lifecycle of the project.
item: Conference-Abstract
Comparison of skills between Sri Lankan and foreign construction labour
(2021-07) Manoharan, K; Dissanayake, P; Pathirana, C; Deegahawature, D; Silva, R
Construction significantly influences a country’s economy. The labour efforts are the lifeblood of construction operations. The construction industry has been facing many challenges due to skill shortages in many countries. This study aimed to compare the work-related skills of Sri Lankan labour against foreign labour forces. A qualitative study methodology was adopted through literature reviews and expert interviews to identify the labour skills which influence the productivity of construction operations. The interviews were conducted in two categories. The first category focused on identifying significant labour skills, the second category was conducted to compare the labour skills between Sri Lankan and foreign labour. Chinese, Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Saudi Arabian, Malaysian and Korean labour forces were considered in the pair-wise comparison process. Statement categories and codes were developed to perform this qualitative comparison. The overall results show the need of developing cognitive and self-management skills of Sri Lankan labourers, where the transferable skills are not much important. The study pointed up the importance of developing technical skills of Sri Lankan labour in concreting, bar bending, plastering, tiling, welding, electrical work and equipment handling, to reach the levels of leading foreign labour forces. Labourers’ commitment, punctuality, participation, self-motivation and problem solving were the significant self-management skills in this regard. Kappa statistics resulted in the inter-rater reliability of these findings at a substantial level. The study outcomes can be helpful for the skills development authorities to take actions for filling the skills gap, and also for some foreign construction sectors in similar scenarios
item: Conference-Abstract
Covid-19 and informal labour in construction : a narrative analysis of webinar discussions
(2021-07) Jayalath, C; Somarathna, KKGP
Many countries after a remarkable spike in COVID-19 cases, opted to lockdown and quarantine curfew that restricted the movement of people. Construction is one of the main sectors experiencing a clear impact due to COVID-19. As a significant growth driver of the economy, the domestic construction industry employs nearly one million of the population directly in various trades. Unfortunately, almost every project has been severely hampered. It is, therefore, prudent to address the impact of the pandemic on construction labour at the outset and end of the crisis to prepare for any future challenges or opportunities that it may undergo. This study aims to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the construction industry's survival and possible measures to be taken in both the short and the long run. This paper summarizes using a narrative analysis of the key takeaways of 15 webinar discussions on the COVID-19 impact and outlook of the construction sector in Sri Lanka. The impacts and fallouts have been addressed by key industry personnel. The study found the most prominent impacts of COVID-19 are the suspension of projects, labour impact, and job loss, time overrun, cost overrun, and delay in payments. The findings of this study shed light on the consequences of the sudden occurrence of a pandemic and raise awareness of the most critical impacts which cannot be overlooked. The findings also help project stakeholders prepare for any future worst-case scenarios.
item: Conference-Abstract
Customer loyalty towards sustainable hotels: case studies in Sri Lanka
(2021-07) Silva, L; Dissanayake, P; Kumarasiri, B; Soorige, D
The hotel sector is directly combined with customer loyalty as it has become increasingly obvious by incorporating its’ antecedents with customer satisfaction and trust. Customer loyalty is influenced by customer satisfaction of hospitality service when it is significantly related to service quality. Sustainability is an important concept that can adapt to achieving customer loyalty in the Sri Lankan hotel sector. Indeed, most conventional hoteliers in Sri Lanka do not have the idea of success in achieving customer loyalty through the sustainability concept. Also, despite the abundance of research on the concept of sustainability, a gap in literature could be identified, when it comes to analysing the customer loyalty aspects toward sustainable hotels in Sri Lanka. This study is therefore aimed to bridge the gap that exists in the literature to prove the success of adopting the concept of sustainability in achieving customer loyalty. A qualitative research approach with two case studies was used to achieve the aim of the study. The selected cases include two green-certified five-star hotels which are under the topmost sustainable hotels in Sri Lanka according to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. A total of 10 interviews were conducted from both cases. The collected data were analysed using content analysis. The customer loyalty aspects were identified on the deriving basis of self-influence factors of customers and their consideration of benefits in sustainable hotels. The study unveils an analysis of the interconnection between sustainable hotels and customer loyalty. The findings provide the path to conventional hotels to identify the success of implementing sustainability concept in achieving customer loyalty.
item: Conference-Abstract
Development of a framework for flood mitigation in Fiji
(2021-07) Guo, M; Gurmu, A; Tivendale, L
244 DEVELOPMENT OF A FRAMEWORK FOR FLOOD MITIGATION IN FIJI Mingyuan Guo1, Argaw Gurmu2 and Linda Tivendale3 ABSTRACT A large portion of infrastructure was flooded by water running off pavements or overflowing from the drainage systems in Fiji. The main objectives of this study are to identify the most suitable drainage management solution to reduce the overflow of the drainage system in Fiji, and to develop a framework of drainage management systems. The literature review was conducted to identify various drainage systems used to mitigate flooding around the world. After the review, the characteristics of Fiji such as climate pattern, location and soil type were analysed in the case study section. Secondary data which was obtained from Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, the U.S., Korea, and China were used in the research. The characteristics of Fiji were then mapped to other countries and a scoring system was created to analyse the suitability of different flood mitigation techniques in Fiji. Finally, multiple flood management strategies were proposed, and a drainage management framework for flood mitigation was developed.
item: Conference-Abstract
Dispute avoidance from the perspective of procurement methods : a conceptual focus
(2021-07) Senarath, PANB; Francis, M
Disputes are unavoidable in construction projects due to their complex characteristics and involvement of different parties, which can interrupt the smooth construction process. Hence, proper dispute avoidance strategies need to be implemented to avoid disputes beforehand. On the other hand, the previous researchers suggested that there is a link between disputes and procurement methods. Therefore, the current research investigates the disputes in the construction industry from the perspective of different procurement methods. A systematic literature review was carried out to identify the available procurement methods in the construction industry, disputes and dispute avoidance strategies and the features of the procurement methods from the perspective of disputes. Firstly, a total of fifty-two key research papers on the research area were employed to review. The literature findings revealed that the industry has moved towards collaborative approaches from the traditional procurement method with higher dispute frequency because as per the findings the likelihood of disputes seems less in the projects procured under collaboration. It further revealed that the inherent features of collaborative approach such as teamwork, relationships and mutual understanding give less prosper towards disputes. Therefore, the findings of the review conclude that the selection of collaborative procurement method at the early stages of a project can reduce the possibilities of disputes from the perspective of procurement methods.
item: Conference-Abstract
Dynamic supply chain capability analysis of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge construction: a topic modeling approach
(2021-07) Ekanayake, EMAC; Shen, GQ; Kumaraswamy, MM; Xue, J
Prefabricated construction as a preferred construction approach instigated significant technological advancements in construction supply chains in Hong Kong (HK). The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) was a milestone prefabricated construction project which was successfully constructed using these industrial advancements. However, the project itself was a great challenge as it was highly vulnerable to disruptions due to complex supply chain processes. In this regard, increased resilience could be the key to boosting project performance through enhanced Supply Chain Capabilities (SCCs), where identifying SCC dynamics becomes essential. Therefore, this study employed the Topic Over Time Modeling approach to detect critical SCCs using 1,748 unstructured official documents on the HZMB from 2003 to 2018, which spans the period from project design to handover. The popularity trend analysis of texts enabled identifying the six most critical capabilities associated with each construction phase of planning, construction and handover. Thereafter, an ex-post capability evaluation map was developed by considering the popularity trend of capabilities and their relevance to different project phases. Industry practitioners would benefit from prior knowledge of SCCs and their dynamic impact on each project phase to prioritize initiating them adequately and appropriately, targeting value-enhanced-resilient supply chains in ex-ante decision-making of future prefabricated infrastructure development projects. Further, the text-mining research approach unveils to academia, an effective and novel mechanism to extract dynamic empirical clues from