Abstract
The international hydropower construction market is continuously growing during the past decade. The existing literature points out that contractors are facing ongoing difficulties in achieving the objectives of developing international hydropower projects, which largely arise from the misunderstanding and poor use of international technical standards. However, there is a lack of a coherent framework to help systematically analyze the differences between technical standards originating from various regions. This study establishes an analytical framework that incorporates the essential factors of technical standards, namely philosophy of standards, logical structure, completeness of standards, calculation method, equipment and material requirements, test method, construction method, and application conditions of standards, and demonstrates their relationships from a holistic perspective. With support of the data collected from Chinese contractors, the results revealed the application status of various technical standards and their differences. Hierarchical cluster analysis demonstrates that unfamiliarity with the differences between domestic and international technical standards can cause multiple problems in international hydropower project delivery, concerning applying international standards, integrated project management, design, procurement, and construction, which have broad theoretical and practical implications. The outcomes of this study can not only help contractors improve their capabilities of applying international standards for achieving superior international hydropower project performance, but also facilitate mutual recognition of the standards from various regions, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of global resources such as expertise, technologies, methods, and products.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilTechnical standards are defined as documents that can be used to ensure that products, processes, services, and materials are fit for their purpose by providing characteristics, guidelines, or specifications [1], which should be established by consensus, and approved by recognized organizations [2]
On the basis of the analytical framework for technical standards, the differences between domestic and international standards, and their impacts on international hydropower project delivery, have been clearly illustrated, with support of the data collected from Chinese contractors
As shown in the analytical framework for technical standards, the differences between domestic and international technical standards can be measured by eight essential factors: philosophy of standards, logical structure of standards, completeness of standards, calculation method of standards, equipment and material requirements of standards, test method of standards, construction method of standards, and application conditions of standards
Summary
Technical standards are defined as documents that can be used to ensure that products, processes, services, and materials are fit for their purpose by providing characteristics, guidelines, or specifications [1], which should be established by consensus, and approved by recognized organizations [2]. Technical standards in the construction industry provide a set of guiding rules that assure the quality and safety of products and services involved in construction, standardize published documents such as data or product service information, ensure the compatibility of products, and decrease the economic losses due to product diversity [3]. The international construction market is maintaining a continuous growth trend, with the annual contract value of the top 250 international contractors increasing from $383.8 billion in 2009 to $625.8 billion in 2019 [4,5]. This demonstrates that international project delivery is playing a more and more important role in the global iations.
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