Enhancing submittal review and construction inspection in public projects

Abstract

Abstract Execution results of public construction projects are a critical concern for the general public. However, submittal review for public construction projects is currently conducted using the push system, resulting in significant submittal inventory. Under this system, change orders require amendments to the submittal inventory, resulting in waste through unnecessary resubmission and re-review. Furthermore, the current construction inspection method uses hold points, thus design or construction problems may be hidden in the inspection inventory, producing defective work and resulting in further waste. The purpose of this research is to develop an Integrated Review and Inspection System (IRIS) using a pull system and Concurrent Engineering (CE). IRIS integrates the requirements of submittal review and construction inspection standards for government quality regulations including the Three Levels Quality Management System (TLQMS). A stable construction flow is established by removing waste from current review and inspection processes. Concurrent submittal review is pulled by the construction status to reduce submittal inventory, with the knock-on effect of reducing the impact of change orders on construction flow, while concurrent construction inspection shortens inspection intervals. Design and construction errors are immediately revealed and amended to avoid defective construction and its ensuing rework. To verify the feasibility of the proposed IRIS, eM-Plant simulation software is used to analyze a construction case. The conventional review/inspection systems and IRIS are compared using computer simulations. Simulation results show that the proposed IRIS could reduce submittal inventory, decrease the impact of change orders on project duration, establish an on-site culture of quality control, and create a stable construction flow. This research presents one of the first attempts to apply pull systems and CE to improve submittal review and construction inspection processes. Research results could provide guidance for the establishment of a collaboration platform for project stakeholders.