Construction Consultants Research Articles

Quantity surveyor's ethical responsiveness on construction projects: issues and solutions

PurposeStudies showed that construction consultants' ethical negligence is a contributing factor to the time and cost over-run of projects. There is limited research on the issues that may have hindered construction consultants' ethical responsiveness during contract administration. Studies regarding influencing factors in the context of Nigeria's quantity surveyors' (QS) ethical responsiveness are rare. Thus, the study aims to investigate the perceived issues and proffers initiatives to promote QSs' ethical responsiveness on construction projects in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachTo determine the perceptions of QS regarding ethical responsiveness, a phenomenologically driven perspective via face-to-face interviews was conducted with 12 senior professionals in Lagos and Abuja that showed interest in participating in the study and were interviewed. A thematic approach was adopted to analyse the collated data.FindingsEconomic, societal and professional issues emerged as the three groups of issues that hindered QS's ethical responsiveness on construction projects in a developing country setting such as Nigeria. Findings show that for ethical responsiveness to be expressed on projects, key stakeholders should be ethically responsible. This is currently missing, especially in public construction projects. Initiatives that can promote key stakeholders' ethical responsiveness on construction projects are examined in this paper.Practical implicationsThe paper embraces an important practical implication because practices associated with QS's unethical responsiveness and behavioural impacts on construction projects were identified. This will stir both the regulatory professional bodies and policymakers to enforce and implement feasible initiatives that can promote key stakeholders' collaborative ethical responsiveness on construction projects.Originality/valueThis paper is amongst the few papers that attempted to uncover issues that hinder QS's ethical responsiveness on construction projects in a developing country setting via a qualitative approach. Since these issues are rampant in developing countries, findings from this paper can be used to promote QS's ethical responsiveness in other nations with similar unethical issues.

Spatial-temporal analysis for the business performance of construction consultancy services in China

PurposeThis paper presents a developed spatial-temporal analysis framework for the case of investigating the business performance of construction consultancy services (CCS) in China.Design/methodology/approachThe spatial-temporal analysis is based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. The spatial analysis follows the DEA results under a contemporaneous benchmark technology and a virtual decision-making unit, consisting of ranking analysis, cluster analysis and variation analysis. The temporal analysis is reliant on the DEA results under a global benchmark technology and the time value of money, including trend analysis and driving force analysis containing pure technical and scale efficiency factors.FindingsThree CCS types in China are investigated, including engineering survey and design, construction supervision and procurement agency. The performance rank order and cluster classifications are mainly related to economic development levels. Engineering survey and design demonstrates the best performance and higher imbalances; however, construction supervision and procurement agency illustrate lower performance and imbalances. Scale efficiency significantly promotes business performance, whereas pure technical efficiency plays an inconspicuous role.Practical implicationsThe CCS promote technical efficiency by developing their service and innovation levels. The service of engineering survey and design registered in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong is recommended for entering the service market in China.Originality/valueThe spatial-temporal analysis framework was developed, which is generic and provides a pathway to measure, compare and assess performance comprehensively. The CCS business performance is firstly measured.

Factors affecting the delivery of optimum health and safety on construction projects during the covid-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of construction professionals relative to factors that affect the delivery of optimum health and safety (H&S) on construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a quantitative design which entailed the distribution of a web-based questionnaire among construction professionals, namely, architects, construction/project managers, engineers, H&S managers and quantity surveyors working for contractors and construction consultants in Zimbabwe. The data were analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Factor analysis was used to reveal interrelated significant sets of factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S.FindingsFactor analysis revealed nine components/factors: change and innovation-related, monitoring and enforcement-related, production-related, access to information and health service-related, on-site facilities and welfare-related, risk assessment and mitigation-related, job security and funding-related, cost-related and COVID-19 risk perception-related factors as the significant factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.Research limitations/implicationsThe results highlighted the need for social dialogue among construction stakeholders to support initiatives that will enhance the delivery of H&S on construction projects. Construction stakeholders may find the results useful in highlighting the areas that need improvement to protect workers’ H&S during the pandemic. However, the small sample limits the generalisability of the results to construction sectors in other regions.Originality/valueThe study investigated factors affecting the delivery of optimum H&S during the COVID-19 to inform interventions to enhance H&S.

Influence of selection criteria on clients’ satisfaction with construction consultancy services in Nigeria

Purpose To receive a satisfactory consultancy service, a construction client must first select suitable consultants. While numerous criteria for the selection of construction consultants have been suggested in the literature, their influence on client satisfaction has hardly been statistically established. This study aimed to reduce the criteria for the selection of construction consultants into a more manageable set of fewer factors and ascertain the influence of the factors on client satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered through a purposively administered cross-sectional survey of public sector clients in Nigeria. Analyzes were done using relative importance index, factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. Findings The results proved that the criteria for the selection of consultants can, in the order of decreasing influence on client satisfaction, be grouped into service delivery approach (SDA), relationship with the client, the caliber of personnel, firm reputation and firm certification. However, SDA is more influential on client satisfaction. All the factors were found to have significant statistical effects on clients’ overall satisfaction with consultancy services. Originality/value The study demonstrates the extent to which construction consultant selection criteria are relevant to client satisfaction. It shows that SDA is the most important predictor of clients’ satisfaction with consultancy services. The results are helpful for grouping consultant selection criteria in future studies, and in guiding clients on the weights to assign to consultant selection criteria during tender evaluation.

Introducing a Design Process to Improve User Surveys Conducted by a Construction Consultant

Introducing a Design Process to Improve User Surveys Conducted by a Construction Consultant

Modeling a Computer Program for Evaluating the Construction Consulting Bids According to the Iraqi Standard Bidding Documents

The professional service procurement's plan and process have a major effect on the construction project's success. In the projects of the public sector, the stress between cost and quality is constant. Public authorities are responsible for maximizing value for money while also protecting the quality and performance of the construction project they develop. Issuing the standard bidding documents for consultancy service (SBDCS) was one of many procedures taken by the Iraqi Government represented by the Ministry of Planning to improve the procurement system in Iraq. The SBDCS were designed to acquire high professional services, achieve the economy and efficiency, and give all qualified consultants opportunities to provide service for the Government financed construction projects. In reviewing the reality of SBDCS's application, the inability of the Government's contracting bodies to achieve the desired documents' objectives was observed. Six projects that applied the SBDCS were chosen as case studies in this research. The lack of adequate qualification of the staff assigned to prepare the bidding document was the main reason that hindered the correct application, which led to the delay in the consultants' procurement and contracting process. An evaluation computer program was modeled for the selection of consultants based on the criteria of Iraqi standard bidding documents. The proposed program aims to facilitate the process of consultant selection according to SBDCS.

Identifikasi Hubungan Faktor dan Strategi Pengembangan Daya Saing Konsultan Konstruksi di Provinsi Aceh

The competitiveness becomes one of the most important factors in determining whether a company can survive or not. The good competitiveness affecting a company can develop and improve to the better condition and become more professional. This research aims to identify the significant factors affecting the competitiveness of construction consultant in Aceh and to analyze the correlation between competitiveness factors and strategy development of construction consultant in Aceh Province. The research objects are construction consultants in medium qualification (M) in Aceh. This is the quantitative research by using questionnaires. The data is analyzed by using SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solution) Program. The data analysis includes validity test, reliability test, descriptive analysis and bivariate correlation analysis. The significant factors of competitiveness are human resource capacity factor (X4), information and technology accessibility factor (X2), government factor (X8), company strategy and management factor (X9), condition factor (X6), demand condition factor (X7), and contracting capacity factor (X5). The mean values of each are 4.449, 4.402, 4.259, 4.236, 4.176, 3.970, and 3.895. The demand condition factor (X7) has moderate correlation to the competitiveness development strategy that the Pearson correlation is 0,533. While contracting capacity factor (X5), condition factor (X6), government factor (X8), and company strategy and management factor (X9) have high correlation to the competitiveness development strategy that the Pearson correlations are 0.611, 0.722, 0.654, and 0.686. Then information and technology accessibility factor (X2) and human resource capacity factor (X4) have very high correlation to the competitiveness development strategy that the Pearson correlation are 0.823 and 0.823. All of the factors have the significant correlation to the competitiveness development strategy in Aceh due to the sig < 0,05 (5%) or rcount > rtable that are all Pearson Coefficient > 0.381.

The attitude of contractors towards risk and risk management process in construction, applies to the case of Vinh Long and Can Tho provinces in construction

Construction projects are implemented in several stages and have many potential risks. To achieve the desired effect, all stakeholders involved in the construction of works must have professional knowledge of risk management in a methodical manner and must be provided with adequate information about the risks that may may happen. In this study, the author surveyed construction contractors about their knowledge and attitudes towards risks in the construction industry and the risk management process that has been and is being applied in practice. Depending on the job position of the surveyor, the response results will reflect their occupational factors when managing risk. Construction consultants tend to attach importance to the closing phase of a project, while managers consider the planning and organizing and implementation stages to be more important because those stages are often riskier. In addition, when dealing with actual risks, the evaluation contractors prioritize the use of risk response techniques such as risk transfer, risk avoidance, and risk reduction. The option to accept the risk is not prioritized by the contractors.

Technical Education in Engineering Geology With Construction Consultant

Technical Education in Engineering Geology With Construction Consultant

Introducing a Design Process to Improve User Surveys Conducted by a Construction Consultant

Introducing a Design Process to Improve User Surveys Conducted by a Construction Consultant

Critical Barriers to Traditional Project Progress Measurement: Perspectives of Ghanaian Construction Professionals

Accurate project progress measurement is critical for effective project management. Besides guarantying smooth work progress, it affords project managers the chance to identify early warning signs for peremptory remedial actions to keep the project on schedule and to budget. However, pertinent barriers can suppress the realization of the benefits of an accurate assessment of construction progress. This study aims to identify, examine and prioritize the critical barriers militating against accurate project progress measurement in the Ghanaian construction industry. Sixteen barriers identified from the literature were administered in a questionnaire survey to professionals with tier one construction firms and consultants. Sixty experienced construction professionals practising with tier-one construction firms and consultancy services took part in the survey. The relative importance index technique was used to rank the factors and correlation in responses of the two parties tested by the Mann-Whitney U statistics. The most critical barriers perceived by the professionals were 1) Reliance on Supervisor’s Judgement, 2) Generic and Non-Systematic Approach, 3) Variable Quality of Data and 4) Intricate Measurement Reports. Other highly ranked barriers include 5) Lack of Timely Information, 6) Laborious Data Gathering and 7) Quality Integration Constraint. The findings underpin the need to minimize dependence on subjective opinions and mere experiences of supervisors for assessment of project progress in this age of information technology. Incorporation of a level of automation into traditional progress methods will not only reduce human errors introduced into manually collected data but facilitate visualization of progress reports. Contiguous to a clear specification of the method of progress measurement in the contract document, a system that conveniently integrates cost, time and scope of work into progress measurement must be pursued. Addressing these identified critical barriers will consolidate current construction progress management practices.

Professionals’ Perceptions on Construction Progress Measurement Methods Used in Ghana

Progress measurement is cardinal for effective project delivery. It assesses the physical amount of completed work within budgeted cost and manpower performance at a specified stage of the project. Effective progress measurement facilitates progress monitoring, an inevitability for identifying early warning signs and confirmation of structured work proceeding. Different progress measuring methods are available and used for construction projects. They range from the traditional to the contemporary ones like three-dimensional and four-dimensional models. This paper examines current progress measurement methods used in the Ghanaian construction industry. Eight commonly employed methods were identified from the literature and rated by sixty-two construction professionals, practicing with tier one construction firms and construction consultancy services. Relative Important Index ranking and Mann-Whitney U test statistics were used to rank and check the consistency of survey responses. Cost Ratio ranked the highest, followed by Supervisor’s Opinion and Units Completed. The fourth-ranked method was Time Ratio, then Incremental Milestone before Start-Finish. Weighted/Equivalent Units was at the penultimate with Earned Value Analysis ranked the lowest. The study will not only underscore the relevance of the current project progress measurement practices and provoke prolific debates on their merits, but will also serve as a precursor for critical evaluation of the methods with the view to identifying barriers militating against realistic progress assessment of construction works.

A sustainable procurement approach for selection of construction consultants in property and facilities management

Purpose Outsourcing architectural and engineering services is a trend for public-sector construction projects. This study aims to examine what tender selection criteria should be considered when assessing the performance outcomes of consultants in relation to sustainable design, construction and management of buildings within the context of property and facilities management of existing building portfolios. Design/methodology/approach Combined qualitative-quantitative methods are adopted to examine the causal relationship between sustainable performance outcomes and influencing factors, using primary data collected from the estate offices of the UK universities, which form a unique public sector. The performance factors identified form the basis of selection criteria. Findings The qualitative multiple-case interviews identify economic, environmental, social and functional sustainability measures as the attributes of performance outcome. The quantitative hierarchical regression analysis generalises that sustainable performance outcomes can be significantly influenced by task and contextual performance factors. Research limitations/implications The scope of the study is limited to university estates. Further research should be conducted on other property and facilities management and construction-related organisations so that the sustainable procurement approach developed by this research can become more robust and applicable to the wider public sector. Practical implications At the tender stage, estate managers should adopt a sustainable procurement approach for selection of construction consultants: focussing on the significant task performance (project staff and execution approach) and contextual performance (collaborative consultant frameworks) influencing factors to optimise the project sustainability outcomes in relation to economic, environmental, social and functional values. Originality/value The sustainable procurement approach developed by this research benefits property and facilities management, as well as construction disciplines within the wider public sector, thus contributing to the government construction policy on promoting sustainability to the built environment.

Factors Influencing the Growth of Small and Medium Construction Firms in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT The construction industry is critical to economic development. Small and medium construction firms (SMCFs) play a key role in the process. The need for vibrant and efficient SMCFs cannot be overemphasized. This study sought to identify factors affecting the survival and growth of SMCFs in northern Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative approach involving face to face interview with SMCFs and construction consultants. Analysis was conducted using a triangulation of word auto-summary, manual summary and Nvivo 8. Key challenges included delay in payment, politics/corruption in the award of contracts, and difficulties in accessing credit. Strategies adopted by SMCFs to spur growth included establishing good relation with clients, low bids, affiliating with political parties and good quality of work. Training and adoption of appropriate regulatory framework would enhance the growth of SMCFs. The findings provide an insight for further research in other regions of Ghana, for comparison and subsequently generalization.

Assessing clients’ satisfaction with the service quality of construction consultants in Lagos, Nigeria

The service quality of consultants plays an important role in enhancing the success of construction projects. The study aims to determine the gaps between the clients’ observed and expected service quality of construction consultants. The 20-service quality (SERVQUAL) criteria of consultants used in this study were compiled from studies on service quality in the construction industry. Quantitative (survey) research design was used for the study and the population consisted of public and private clients in the construction industry. The random sampling technique was used for the study. The data collected were analysed with descriptive statistics. The results indicate that the clients’ order of satisfaction with consultants’ services is: willingness to provide service; courtesy; knowledge and confidence in clients; etc. However, the services provided are in the order of: keeping clients informed of the progress of the projects; provision of skilled personnel to handle projects; etc. The study established that gaps exist between the expected and observed service quality of consultants in 8 out of the 20 areas that were investigated. T-test statistics revealed that there are significant differences in the observed and expected service quality of consultants by private and public clients. Hence, consultants’ services are yet to reach clients’ expectations.

Evaluation of the Variables Affecting on the Cost Management and Its Correlation to the Implementation of Construction Projects

Profit is the main goal for any project and there is no profit if there is no control and adjust the cost. Therefore, This study aims to measures the extent of project managers recognition of the concept of cost management and to highlight the variables affecting the cost management in construction projects.To achieve the objective of this study, the researcher has developed a questionnaire including six main axes (design, financial aspect, work site, project management, communication between the three project parties, implementation of the project), including 30 variables that affect directly on the cost management in construction companies and consultants' offices.This study has concluded two main results. Firstly, project managers have the responsibility for controlling and adjusting the cost of projects. Secondly, The most important and affective variables are doing the designs required modifications quickly, Inflation, The existence of warehouses for the storage of materials at the site, develop a list of substitutes of materials and equipment if prices rise, Preparing quick and easy means for communication between contractor, owner and consultant and Contractor has previous experience of implementation similar projects. DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-2-02

Fuzzy AHP model for challenges to thermal power plant establishment in India

Thermal power plant is a huge project in context of resource utilisation, time required for its completion and also large amount of funds are required for its establishment. So, delay in any activity especially activity of critical path would results in delay of whole project. Due to delay, the stress on the resources would also increase, which may further result in substandard quality of work. A fuzzy AHP process model has been used to prioritise the challenges to thermal power plant establishment through the inputs by experts from managers at the actual construction sites, designers, and consultants. The challenges identified in the present study can be categorised in three categories viz. high impact, medium impact and least impact challenges. This paper presented the ranking of 19 challenges faced in the establishment of a new thermal power plant in India.

PENGARUH FAKTOR-FAKTOR KOMPETENSI TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN JASA KONSULTANSI KONSTRUKSI DI PEKANBARU

This study aims to analyze the influence of competency factors on performance. The location of this research was conducted in Pekanbaru. While the time of the study was conducted January 1, 2016 until February 28, 2016. The source of this research data is the Construction Consultancy Services Employee in the city of Pekanbaru. With 87 respondents as the research sample. Data analysis techniques in the form of descriptive analysis, validity and reliability test, classic assumption test (normality test, autocorrelation test, multicollinearity test, heterokedacity test), and hypothesis testing namely t test (partially), F test (simultaneous test) and test coefficient of determination). The results of this study are partial; Knowledge (X1), Skills (X2), Self Concept (X3) and Personal Characteristics (X4) influence Employee Performance (Y) construction consulting services in Pekanbaru city. And Simultaneously Knowledge (X1), Skills (X2), Self Concept (X3) and Personal Characteristics (X4) affect Employee Performance (Y) construction consulting services in Pekanbaru city

The Sources of Stress amongst Construction Consultants In Workplace Environment

Designers in Malaysia are beginning to feel the existence and growing of stress levels at the workplace due to high pressure and competitive working environment. Designer profession is to create inspiring designs that sometimes lead to stress and affect their work performance. Moreover, stress can cause poor planning, lack of communication and interpersonal conflicts. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to identify the causes and effects of workplace stress among designers. Questionnaire survey was distributed among 500 designers. The respondents are from construction consultant companies in Klang Valley. The response rate of this paper was performed in about 38% of the samples. The outcome of this research shows that they generally enjoyed their work but sometimes feel stressed due to poor planning and job demand, working surrounding and relationships among staff. This indicates that stress leads to bad designs and sometimes gives bad effects on the performance of the designers.

SWOT analysis of indigenous and foreign contractors in a developing economy

PurposeThe call for more engagement of local contractors has been gaining support by construction stakeholders especially as a result of the recent economy recession in Nigeria. However, due to the increasing complexity of the construction industry and technological advancement, the influx and engagement of foreign contractors has been on the increase and their contribution is also germane to the economy development of the country. In view of this, the purpose of this paper is to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of indigenous and foreign contractors in the country with a view to understanding their differences in the quest of improving their service delivery.Design/methodology/approachA case study research was carried out through the use of interview and questionnaire administered on management staff and professionals in selected construction firms, respectively. In order to obtain a balance view of the subject, professionals from construction consultancy firms selected through Delphi method were also included in the study and sampled accordingly. Appropriate statistical tools were employed in analysing the data gathered and result was presented with the aid of a SWOT template.FindingsFindings of the research show that foreign contractors have better strengths than their indigenous counterparts, and this has made them gain better expertise. Also, they enjoyed more opportunities than the threats they are faced with, but the reverse is the case for indigenous contractors.Originality/valueThere is a need for the two categories of contractors to identify their SWOT as indicated in this study and leverage their strengths, correct their weaknesses, capitalise on golden opportunities and avoid potentially devastating threats to enhance their effectiveness and success in the industry.