Data envelopment analysis based efficiency measurement of engineering change controlling for infrastructure construction under integrated project delivery mode

Abstract

Engineering management is undergoing revolution and innovation due to the rapid development in smart city and infrastructure construction worldwide. Infrastructure construction projects, including large-scale transportation projects, usually have the characteristics of huge investment, long construction period, and complex construction technology. Engineering change controlling is an important part of project management in infrastructure construction. Owing to main participants’ early involvement and working on mutual trust and benefits, integrated project delivery (IPD) mode has significant advantages in reducing engineering change, and thus draws much concern in infrastructure construction. IPD is featured by implementing a range of fundamental principles. Previous studies were rarely involved in how to address these IPD principles in certain IPD projects. This study constructed an IPD projects’ change controlling efficiency evaluation system using data envelopment analysis (DEA), correlating the change controlling efficiency and the implementing of IPD principles. The authors established the evaluation model. It is demonstrated that DEA was a feasible way for IPD projects’ relative change controlling efficiency calculating. By analysing the case study results, the authors explored how to use IPD principle to promote the IPD projects to yield better results from the perspective of engineering change controlling.