Civil Engineering Contractors Research Articles

Collaboration and Management Techniques for The Expansion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Contractors in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

The construction industry, spearheaded by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), plays a vital role in economic development and poverty alleviation. Yet, numerous SME contractors need help to expand, hindering their potential contribution. To address this critical gap, this study explored the factors influencing building contractors' growth in Ghana's Cape Coast Metropolis. A targeted questionnaire survey of one hundred and twenty-one (121) building and civil engineering contractors was employed to examine the interplay between two (2) key determinants of growth: building stable teamwork and implementing proper management systems. The analysis revealed six (6) crucial factors, three (3) within each category, that demonstrably drive contractor expansion in the Cape Coast Metropolis. These factors encompass fostering team cohesion through training, recognition, effective collaboration, strategic project differentiation, prioritising project management, and proactive risk mitigation. The study's findings underscore the critical importance of internal (teamwork) and external (management systems) factors in propelling SME contractor growth within this context. Equipping policymakers and stakeholders with this actionable knowledge will pave the way for targeted interventions and policy initiatives. These initiatives can empower building contractors with the necessary skills and support systems to overcome growth barriers, unlock their full potential, and contribute more significantly to the economic prosperity of Cape Coast Metropolis and beyond.

Identify Obstacles in Implementing Total Quality Management Framework in the Ghanaian Construction Sector using Exploring Factors Analysis Technique

The concept of total quality management improves an organization’s performance, but there are several obstacles to its practical application. This study therefore identifies the obstacles to implementing the Total Quality Management (TQM) framework in the Ghanaian construction sector. A survey questionnaire was employed for the study, and the results were based on responses from 536 of 641 questionnaires sent out to the top management in the Ghanaian construction sector. The sample frame for the study was determined from the population made up of one thousand two hundred and eighty-two (1282) small to large-sized (D4K4 to D1K1) good-standing construction firms registered with the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG). The data was analysed using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) technique. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the reliability of the study instrument. While the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's tests of sphericity were employed to assess sampling adequacy and significance. The study identified sixteen obstacles in implementing TQM framework in the Ghanaian construction sector. The five most significant potential obstacles among the sixteen identified obstacles in the ranking were: lack of understanding of TQM; lack of enforcement by the agencies responsible for regulating the application of TQM; inadequate TQM systems; lack of enthusiasm for TQM implementation; and lack of a TQM policy. All sixteen items (obstacles) identified were found to have a high impact on TQM implementation in the Ghanaian construction sector. Hence, understanding these identified obstacles to TQM implementation will enable construction managers to develop more effective strategies for improving TQM implementation in the Ghanaian construction sector. The study contributes to existing literature by using exploratory factor analysis techniques to identify obstacles to total quality management implementation in the Ghanaian construction sector.

Predictors of business-to-business loyalty and repurchase intentions in South Africa’s concrete product market

Purpose: Relational exchanges between buyers and sellers in business-to-business (B2B) contexts are becoming important in today’s competitive markets. With increases in the number of concrete product manufacturer-supplier (CPMs) organisations in the construction industry, customers still express dissatisfaction with supplier relationship quality. This study examined associations between relationship quality and commitment leading to customer loyalty and repurchase intention in South Africa’s concrete product market.Design/methodology/approach: Civil and building engineering contractors, are the study participants owing to their scope and size of work in Gauteng province of South Africa. Quantitative cross-sectional data collection approach was applied using self-administered structured questionnaires. Only 560 responses were received, and data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS).Findings/results: The results revealed that CPMs relationship quality and commitment contributions do lead to customer satisfaction as precursor of loyalty and repurchase intention. Elevated satisfaction levels do accelerate the relationship between the study constructs.Practical implications: CPMs and their customers should embrace applying relational exchanges that promote long-term B2B relationships and business survival. Also, they should invest in strategies that improve customer satisfaction and eternal loyalty towards long-term B2B repurchase intention and survival.Originality/value: No study primarily in an emerging South African concrete product market examined the relationship between the study constructs and hence this study adds new insights into the existing body of knowledge relating to how CPMs’ relationship quality and commitment influence customer satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intention.

ILLICIT BUSINESS FORUMS IN SOUTH AFRICA: A SURVEY

Extortion is understood as one party taking from another a patrimonial or non-patrimonial advantage by intentionally and unlawfully subjecting them to pressure which forces them to submit to a bribe. Extortion is not an unfamiliar concept in South Africa. In this article it is contended that extortion has become a major concern in the construction industry. Sites where the installation of critical infrastructure occur and construction sites throughout South Africa are being invaded by what some may call the ‘construction mafia’.1 The South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors reports that in 2019 alone over 180 infrastructure and construction projects were affected by acts such as extortion perpetrated by groups who call themselves ‘local business forums’. The business forums often mislead construction companies by demanding 30% of the value of the contract awarded to such companies. They refer to the stipulations in the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act 5 of 2000 (PPPFA) and subsequent Preferential Procurement Regulation, 2017 (PPR) to create the perception that they have a rightful claim to 30 percent of the contract value. If their demands are not met the business forums resort to violence which halts construction site activities. The business forums justify their actions as ‘radical transformation’. This view is supported by some local politicians who actively encourage the activities by the forums or are involved for financial or political gain.

Interpretable Machine Learning for Prediction of Post-Fire Self-Healing of Concrete.

Developing accurate and interpretable models to forecast concrete's self-healing behavior is of interest to material engineers, scientists, and civil engineering contractors. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence are powerful tools that allow constructing high-precision predictions, yet often considered "black box" methods due to their complexity. Those approaches are commonly used for the modeling of mechanical properties of concrete with exceptional accuracy; however, there are few studies dealing with the application of ML for the self-healing of cementitious materials. This paper proposes a pioneering study on the utilization of ML for predicting post-fire self-healing of concrete. A large database is constructed based on the literature studies. Twelve input variables are analyzed: w/c, age of concrete, amount of cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate, peak loading temperature, duration of peak loading temperature, cooling regime, duration of cooling, curing regime, duration of curing, and specimen volume. The output of the model is the compressive strength recovery, being one of the self-healing efficiency indicators. Four ML methods are optimized and compared based on their performance error: Support Vector Machines (SVM), Regression Trees (RT), Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Ensemble of Regression Trees (ET). Monte Carlo analysis is conducted to verify the stability of the selected model. All ML approaches demonstrate satisfying precision, twice as good as linear regression. The ET model is found to be the most optimal with the highest prediction accuracy and sufficient robustness. Model interpretation is performed using Partial Dependence Plots and Individual Conditional Expectation Plots. Temperature, curing regime, and amounts of aggregates are identified as the most significant predictors.

A Regression Model to Enhance the Profitability of Local Construction Contractors in Uganda

Doubtlessly, the primary goal of every construction company is to maximise profitability. Without this, construction companies cannot survive. Incidentally, Ugandan local construction contractors (LCCs) continue to collapse in a short period, despite enormous public and private investments in the construction sector. This study investigates the profitability of LCCs in Uganda. An investigation was conducted to develop a regression model that would enable LCCs to enhance their profitability and minimise business failure. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect primary data from 47 local construction companies registered with the Uganda National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (UNABCEC) and secondary data were collected from audited books of accounts covering from year 2016 to 2018. Thirty-five valid responses were received, representing a response rate of 74%. Data were coded into SPSS version 25, analysed and displayed using the relative importance index (RII), statistical correlation and regression analysis. The findings indicated that the profitability of LCCs was unsatisfactory when compared to the profitability ratios recommended for the construction industry and those of contractors in other countries. The results also indicate that the profitability of LCCs is significantly affected by the timeliness of payments, cost of finance, competitive bidding environment, project delays, price fluctuations and corruption tendencies, in that order. The findings of this study will benefit construction industry players by providing awareness about the factors affecting the profitability of LCCs. A regression model to enhance profitability was developed using regression analysis. This will help LCCs enhance their profitability by developing mitigation strategies that prevent low profitability; consequently, business failure will be minimised.

Assessing the Level of Resilience in Construction Safety Management Systems in the Ghanaian Construction Industry

The traditional safety management approach is a control-oriented approach that seeks to direct and control workers to complete the expected company safety standards and regulations. This approach to safety management is partially compatible with the growing complexity of contemporary organisations. Therefore, a more comprehensive and modern approach to safety management is necessary, hence, the resilience management system. This study is part of a PhD programme. The study’s objective was to establish the level of resilience capabilities of construction safety management systems (SMSs) in Ghana’s construction industry. The targeted respondents were health and safety (HS) managers, managing directors, project managers, site engineers and construction managers of D1K1, D2K2, D3K3 and D4K4 construction companies. The list of 144 construction companies surveyed in this study was obtained from the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Ghana and deemed to be in good standing. The study used purposive sampling techniques to reach out to the respondents. Descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and its post hoc test and the resilience analysis grid (RAG) were employed. The results revealed that out of the seven SMSs assessed, only “policy” measured up to the acceptable level of resilience, thus establishing that the entire safety management system (SMS) is not resilient. These findings have empirically established that SMSs in the Ghanaian construction industry are not resilient. The results further highlight the necessity for contractors and stakeholders to switch from a conventional safety management strategy to a more proactive safety management approach and to establish a customised method to a more robust safety management system.

ILLICIT BUSINESS FORUMS IN SOUTH AFRICA: A SURVEY

Extortion is understood as one party taking from another a patrimonial or non-patrimonial advantage by intentionally and unlawfully subjecting them to pressure which forces them to submit to a bribe. Extortion is not an unfamiliar concept in South Africa. In this article it is contended that extortion has become a major concern in the construction industry. Sites where the installation of critical infrastructure occur and construction sites throughout South Africa are being invaded by what some may call the ‘construction mafia’.1 The South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors reports that in 2019 alone over 180 infrastructure and construction projects were affected by acts such as extortion perpetrated by groups who call themselves ‘local business forums’. The business forums often mislead construction companies by demanding 30% of the value of the contract awarded to such companies. They refer to the stipulations in the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act 5 of 2000 (PPPFA) and subsequent Preferential Procurement Regulation, 2017 (PPR) to create the perception that they have a rightful claim to 30 percent of the contract value. If their demands are not met the business forums resort to violence which halts construction site activities. The business forums justify their actions as ‘radical transformation’. This view is supported by some local politicians who actively encourage the activities by the forums or are involved for financial or political gain.

Satisfaction with life, psychological distress, and workplace bullying among construction workers

Construction workers are among workers who have to face a very dynamic work situation with a fixed deadline because they have to finish the work according to the target of completion as stated in the contract. The study aimed to compare Satisfaction with Life, Psychological Distress, and Workplace Bullying of the workers in two construction companies. This is a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire distributed to two groups of workers who work in two different companies with a total number of respondents of 588. Data collected were then processed using a frequency distribution table and compared using the Mann Whitney method to identify differences between the two groups. The study showed differences between the workers from the two companies in terms of negative behaviors, level of distress, and level of satisfaction with life. Workers in the Civil Engineering Contractor Company suffer more bullying and a slightly higher level of distress. The lowest level of satisfaction with life is also seen in this company when compared to that of the engineering procurement construction (EPC) contractor company. The result of study indicate that difference might link to more bullying actions and a higher level of distress in the construction civil engineering company, which trigger dissatisfaction with life among its workers. Thus, management should act promptly to eliminate negative behaviors as it will be crucial in preventing the increase in the number of bullying victims and the level of distress in the workplace will not increase.

Contractor commitment and the delivery of road infrastructure projects in Uganda: A practitioner perspective

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationship between commitment (specifically the affective, continuance and normative aspects of commitment) and the delivery of road infrastructure in Uganda. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with a sample of 266 that was purposively selected from road project engineers related to the Uganda National Roads Authority, the Ministry of Works and Transport, and the Uganda National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that all three indicators of commitment (affective, continuance, and normative) significantly affect the delivery of road infrastructure projects, though in varying degrees. The researchers recommend the implementation of mechanisms to enhance the three forms of commitment in the delivery of road infrastructure projects in Uganda. Notwithstanding other factors, the paper makes a contribution to the area of road construction in the developing country context by extending previous qualitative findings which focused solely on a case-based approach. This will enable policymakers and practitioners to gain an appreciation of the key dimensions of contractor commitment that may influence the delivery of road infrastructure projects in developing countries.

Dissatisfaction by Labors at Farm Work in the Civil Engineering Contractors after Entry into Farming Business

Dissatisfaction by Labors at Farm Work in the Civil Engineering Contractors after Entry into Farming Business

Quantitative Model for the Systematic Evaluation of Standard Form of Civil Engineering Contract

This research presents a quantitative model for standard-form review that is systematic and concise with the aim to reduce dependency on individuals’ opinions and the subjectivity in standard-form review. Construction industry in Malaysia has always has a heavy reliance on the standard-forms of contract as its General Conditions of Contract to outline the obligations and the rights or the parties contracting in civil engineering projects. However, according to the literatures available, the existing forms and all their subsequent revisions are still falling short in certain areas. Studies on standard form including those of form revisions are typically conducted qualitatively and in a rather random manner but the search for contractual documents idealization still remains. In this research, eight (8) attributes for standard form study and their relevant parameters were selected. A structured questionnaire survey was done to establish the rankings of these attributes and their importance weighting, Wi. Then, a structured technique to evaluate the clauses based on the Level of Adequacy, Ai against the number of problematic issues, is designed for form reviewer to evaluate each clause. Each clause in the standard-form will have a final Total Evaluation Score (TES). Magnitude of Evaluation of TES is designed to check the magnitude of positivity or negativity of the clauses. It is hoped that with a structured and quantitative model for form evaluation, both the positive points and conversely the problematic areas and issues in standard-forms of contract, not only in Malaysia but worldwide, can be determined in an objective manner, which in turn enhances future form drafting and revisions in the quest for an ‘ideal’ form.

Quality of aggregates for the preparation of asphalt mixtures from 4 processing companies in San José de Cúcuta, Colombia

Four asphalt mix processing companies were visited: Transivic S.A.S, Maquinteligente S.A.S, Copavicol S.A.S and Grupo Colpao S.A.S, companies located in the city of San José de Cúcuta, Colombia. Samples were taken of the stone material marketed by each of the companies for the preparation of asphalt mixtures, especially hot dense mixture-19. The stone aggregates taken from the processing companies were submitted to the analyses described by the “Instituto Nacional de Vías” 2013 for approval in the preparation of asphalt mixtures, regulations that apply in Colombia. The results obtained in the tests carried out with natural stone material were tabulated and analyzed comparatively in order to determine which of them is the most suitable for use in the preparation of the hot dense mixture-19. This provided interesting data on the quality of this material for the preparation of asphalt mixtures in each of the 4 processing companies. With the analysis of the results carried out, it was concluded that only 1 of the 4 material processing companies have high quality indexes. Research conclusion that provides information of interest to civil engineering contractors specialized in the construction of asphalt pavements, who will make important decisions regarding the acquisition of the ideal material for their next projects, thus constructing more durable works, a characteristic that contributes considerably to the economy of the project. In addition, a positive social and environmental impact is generated with the minimization of maintenance and repairs of the work carried out, an activity that leads to a reduction in the industrialized processes that generate polluting waste with respect to the preparation of construction materials for this type of projects.

Civil engineers encouraged to help protect migrant worker lives and wages in the Gulf

Charlotte Broyd of Engineers Against Poverty says civil engineering consultants and contractors can make a real difference to improving the lives of migrant construction workers in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, whose wages are frequently paid late or not at all.

Key quality attributes of design documentation: South African perspective

PurposeThe poor quality of design documentation has been identified as a significant contributor to delays, rework and cost overruns on construction projects in South Africa. Despite this, limited research has been undertaken to specifically investigate the quality of design documentation. This in turn hampers efforts aimed at improving the quality of the design documents. The aim of this study is to identify the key quality attributes of design documentation and determine the extent to which the design documents issued on South African construction projects are perceived to incorporate the quality attributes.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was distributed among civil engineering design consultants and contractors in the South African construction industry. Responses to a total of 120 completed questionnaires were statistically analysed. The relative importance and extent of incorporation of the quality attributes was determined based on the mean scores.FindingsIt emerged from the study that the two key quality attributes of design documentation were legibility and coordinated design documentation. Attributes with the least importance were relevancy and certainty. Regarding the incorporation of the quality attributes, the design documents were rated highly with respect to their legibility and clarity. The quality of the documentation was deemed inadequate in terms of accuracy and certainty.Practical implicationsThe findings provide valuable insight to stakeholders involved in developing initiatives aimed at improving the quality of design documentation and as a result construction project performance.Originality/valueThe study provides empirical evidence and extends the literature on design documentation quality especially from the perspective of South Africa, a developing country.

Reliable Description of Preliminaries Item Using Civil Engineering Preliminaries Protocol (CEPP) In Conventional Contracts

Civil engineering work deals with nature and thus, is exposed to enormous discrepancies due to nature’s complexity compared to building works which are more certain. In the Malaysian construction industry, it is generally accepted that civil engineers administer civil engineering contracts and prepare tender documents. The Civil Engineering Preliminaries Protocol (CEPP) for conventional contracts is an ongoing research that deliberates on the cost-related items included in the Preliminaries. Preliminaries are subjective in nature and largely challenging to price. This paper considered previous research findings by conducting a literature review and accordingly, highlighted the problem statements raised on the contractual risks present due to the fallacy of item description. The identification of underlying problems and gaps within the area of study justifies the aim of the research to establishing a common protocol that is conversant to both engineers and contractors. The objective of the protocol is to eliminate disputes due to vagueness, ambiguities, and duplication of preliminary items in order to improve price accuracy. In practice, different approaches are taken by engineers and contractors in dealing with preliminary items. Engineers provide bills of preliminaries and contractors price them accordingly without establishing any mutual understanding and responsibility for risks. Conventional contracts prohibit contractors to provide their own preliminaries. Contractors instead have to obtain clarification on any ambiguities in the contract within the speculated time given during the tender period. As a way forward, the CEPP provides better clarity, accuracy, and transparency to engineers and contractors as well as the other construction players in general. Reliable descriptions of preliminary items ensure better price accuracy for the betterment of the construction industry.

A survey on problems encountered in current concrete construction and the potential benefits of self-healing cementitious materials

The annual costs for repair, maintenance and replacement of civil engineering infrastructure attracts significant expenditure in the UK. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant number of existing and new concrete structures suffer from repair and maintenance problems, but a lack of objective construction industry supported data concerning these problems makes it difficult to establish, with any certainty, the actual problems encountered in current concrete construction in the UK. To address this lack of data, a market research exercise was commissioned by the Materials for Life (M4L) EPSRC funded research project. The market research has shown that damage in the form of cracking in concrete structures was experienced by more clients, design team members and civil engineering contractors than any other problem. Structures requiring articulation and subject to dynamic loads such as bridges were noted as being the most vulnerable to damage, with this damage mostly occurring in the joints and half joints, bearings and the deck of such structures. The main consequential effects of damage in concrete structures were the need for the contractor to return for repairs as well as the need for regular monitoring. The current approaches taken to enhance a structure’s longevity mainly involve the use of additional cementitious material to improve the barrier between the environment and the steel reinforcement. However, an alternative could be to use the self-healing cementitious materials that have been proposed by the M4L research team. Until now there has been insufficient evidence regarding how these materials may be deployed in the construction industry, and the applications to which they may be best suited in terms of added-value. The market research results show that highways and infrastructure generally and water retaining structures would benefit most from self-healing cementitious materials, with reduced maintenance costs over a structure’s lifetime justifying a premium in the capital material cost. Reduced whole-life costs and fewer repair and maintenance interventions will have a significant influence on the economic, environmental and social impact of repair and maintenance events, which will be of benefit to the UK as a whole.

Potentiality of the South African Construction SMME Contractors Globalising within and Beyond the SADC Construction Markets

The African continent stands on the verge of developmental take-off, most especially the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region being one of the emerging economies. The 15 years SADC strategic plan for implementation of infrastructure and construction development is believed to stimulate economic, social and technological advancement; and increase the competitiveness and sustainability amongst the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) and large contractors within the region and globe. The major problem is that most of the SMME contractors within South Africa, which have the potential to grow into large construction companies and, to further internationalise their businesses lacks the global readiness. Thus, the global thrusts have generated the concepts of globalizing business strategy and operations, as one of the drivers of competitiveness of many countries and organisations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential of the South African construction SMME /contractor's capability for globalizing within and beyond the SADC construction market. This study was conducted among the construction SMME contractors in Port Elizabeth, the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The qualitative research method was adopted an in-depth interviewing technique with 34 contractors (civil engineering and general building contractors) within the cidb grade 4 to 6 contractors. These SMMEs are being perceived to have the potential capacity to become large-scale construction organisations shortly. Findings revealed that only two SMME contractors are operating internationally while other contracting firms are currently sustainable and competitive in the domestic market, and however, few are planning to go global. The study also revealed that most of the SMME contractors are reluctant to amplify their potential capabilities, and needed the readiness to develop international business strategies that would enable them to penetrate and participate in the SADC region and global construction market. The study recommends that the SA construction contractors both SMME and large contractors should strive earnestly to harness their potential capacity towards globalizing their businesses, strategies and operations frameworks that would foster their global competitiveness.
 Keywords: Business Strategies, Capability, Globalisation, SMME Contractors, South Africa.

The contractor who invented a construction robot

The owner of a heavy civil engineering contractor in the United States has invented an autonomous robot that can tie together steel reinforcement bars before a bridge deck concrete pour, thereby cu...

Exploring the Significant Cash Flow Factors Influencing Building Projects Profitability in Ghana

This paper identifies and explore significant quantifiable cash flow factors influencing building projects profitability in Ghana. A thorough literature was undertaken to unravel the quantifiable cash flow factors which facilitated design of questionnaire. A survey with prime focus on large firms registered with the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, Ghana was undertaken. A total of 50 questionnaires were received from 63 administered representing 79.36% response rate with a Cronbach Alpha value of 0.895 and Kappa value of 0.743 respectively were attained. One-sample t-test was performed on the rated responses to establish 12 significant factors. Principal component analysis was subsequently employed to reduce factors to the most significant components. Prominent variables selected from rotated and component score matrixes were: wages of labour and staff; progress payment duration; bank interest rate; and replacement of defective works as significant variables. This study was limited to quantifiable cash flow factors and large construction firms hence, recommended further study with focus on qualitative factors, procurement types, broader scope of construction firms and other developing countries. The outcome of this is to aid construction managers effectively manage the significant cash flow factors to maximize profit.