Public Works Construction Research Articles

Effective Project Delivery Method for Public Construction: Case in the Oromia Region, West Wallaga Zone

This thesis is to identify and evaluate effective delivery methods and assess their applicability to the local situations in the Oromia region of the West Wallaga Zone. The significance of the research is that the broadening of the service packages is believed to enable the optimization of the process and the product as a whole in the construction industry, as well as facilitate the development of the infrastructure sectors. The objective of this research is to identify effective project delivery methods for public works construction in the Oromia Region West Wallaga Zone. The data collection process used in the research had the option of two basic methods: primary data collection and secondary data collection. Accordingly, four project delivery methods based on their relevance to the local situation have been evaluated; their merits, demerits, and requirements have been identified. These methods are: the design-bid-build, construction managers (at resk and at fee), the design-build, and the design-build-operate-transfer methods. Based on these findings of the study, the design-bid-Build method has been the most widely used effective project delivery method in the Oromia Region West Wallaga Zone. Performance-based project delivery methods are thought to offer a way to develop the sector and to benefit all stakeholders. In order to benefit all parties involved in the building sector, this will serve as a beneficial addition to the current techniques.

The Impact of Leadership Behaviour on Management Effectiveness in Public Construction Project Organizations

This study aims to explore the less explored area of leadership behaviors within public construction project organizations. A correlational research design was adopted, with data collected through a questionnaire-based survey of 169 professionals involved in public construction projects in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling with partial least squares estimation was used to analyze the data. The results confirmed five behavioral dimensions, namely motivating leadership, goal setting, supportive leadership, participative leadership, and directive leadership, which can be used to assess the leading function in public construction work management. The study also revealed that supportive leadership and directive leadership have a significant impact on management effectiveness. Additionally, supportive leadership acts as a mediator for goal setting, motivating leadership, and participative leadership, while directive leadership acts as a mediator for goal setting and participative leadership.

Optimizing The Best Practice of Building Maintenance Management System (BMMS): Modern Computerized System at Strata Title Residential Property in Malaysia

Investment in building maintenance management is an effective strategy to control the quality of building performance and its condition. In most countries, maintenance activities are based on the basic management concept, which includes planning, monitoring, and controlling. Thus, building maintenance management system (BMMS) should be applied to various types of properties to allocate the relevant maintenance procedures to the specific building that requires the implementation of maintenance activities. Ordinarily, residential property is more concerned with the building maintenance management system (BMMS) due to the well-maintained assets and facilities, while also retaining the building aesthetically to provide an opportunity for future property investment. The value of buildings really depends on their quality and current condition, and this also points out that accurate maintenance activities for residential property in Malaysia provide maximum benefit to the building's performance. However, building maintenance management in Malaysia is mostly based on the conventional system (also known as a paper-based report) rather than the modern computerized system, which makes it ideally difficult to determine the root causes. This commonly proposes inaccurate maintenance activities for strata-title residential buildings. The weaknesses of the current procedure may affect the overall building performance, besides, building defects can also become more critical without any remedial actions from the building owners. Thus, this research will aid in identifying the fundamental shortcomings of paper-based conventional systems and investigating how a modern computerized BMMS might cope with these challenges. However, this study will focus on strata title properties in Peninsular Malaysia. The variables were measured and assessed using a mixed-methods approach that included both qualitative and quantitative components. Twelve (12) building experts from public and private entities, including the public works department (PWD), local authority (LA), and Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), were interviewed using a qualitative technique. The results from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using descriptive and thematic analyses. Then, 125 respondents were given a questionnaire as part of a quantitative approach, and SPSS version 28 was used to examine the results. The findings are expected to highlight the

Analysis of the Impact of Government-Supplied Material Purchase Contracts with On-site Installation on Construction Market

The purchase contract for government-supplied materials, which means materials provided by the owner in public construction works, has various delivery conditions. Controversy has continued between public agencies such as the Public Procurement Service and construction contractors over the appropriateness of application of the purchase contract with on-site installation conditions, and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) made recommendations in 2012. Nevertheless, public agencies continue to actively apply product purchase contracts with on-site installation conditions. In this study, total on-site installation related costs was defined as the sum of direct labor costs, equipment expenses, and other related interlocking costs. As a result of analyzing the total on-site installation related costs of government-supplied materials from the actual construction cost data of 25 construction works, it accounted for an average of 4.49% of the estimated price. If the ratio of 4.49% to the 37.5 trillion won estimated as the average amount of public construction projects in Korea is reflected, the annual on-site installation related costs is about 1.6838 trillion won. It can be confirmed that the proportion of on-site installation related costs of government-supplied materials in the construction market is substantially significant.

Dividend Policy Mediates the Impact of Financial Performance and Asset Structure on Firm Value

In the country's economic growth, the construction industry is an important contributor and is directly influenced by government policies, because the government can regulate the economy by carrying out public works construction during periods of stagnation. The purpose of this study is to analyze and provide empirical evidence of Dividend Policy mediating the influence of Asset Structure on Company Value. The research was conducted using quantitative descriptive research methods. The population used is 18 manufacturing companies in the construction and building sector listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The samples used were 10 companies. The analytical tools used use regression model tests, classical assumption tests, hypothesis tests and path analysis. The results of the study can be concluded indirectly Asset Structure through Dividend Policy has a significant influence on Company Value.

Assessment of Client-Related Factors for Delaying of Public Buildings Constructions Projects in Local Government Authorities: A Case of Arusha City Council

This study aimed to assess client-related factors for delaying of Public buildings construction projects in Local Government Authorities. The factors assessed were; project design, political intervention and decision-making challenges. The study was conducted at Arusha City Council (ACC) employing cross-sectional survey through semi-structured questionnaire and interview guide to 55 sampled informants. . Cross tabulation with Chi-square tests was deployed to analyse data. Following the findings of the assessment of client-related factors for delaying of public buildings construction projects in Arusha City Council, it is concluded that inadequate project design is one of the major causes of delays of public buildings construction projects in local government authorities. More specifically, variations due to inadequate design, the effect of insufficient budget resulting from inadequate project design and insufficient professional staff are the main causes of delays in public buildings constructions project. It is also apparent that political intervention is another major factor that contributes to delaying public building construction in Arusha City council (ACC). It is also concluded that decision making challenges is another major contributor to delaying public building construction projects in ACC. More specifically, it is concluded that bureaucracy in the decisions making process, unnecessary directives by government officials and delays in the payment of interim certificates are the main causes of delaying public buildings constructions projects in ACC. It is recommended that the government should employ an adequate number of building construction engineers, quality assurance officers, as well as project monitoring and evaluations officers who are expected to be tasked to ensure that projects are designed adequately, and their execution are managed and monitored effectively. Also, the government should avail adequate budget for all public building construction works and should pay interim certificates timely to avoid delaying the projects. In addition, the government should formulate and institute a general guideline that obstructs politician and government officers to be bid for public building construction works in their respective councils. This measure is expected to prevent conflict of interest among politicians and government officers.

Automation of haulers for debris removal in tunnel construction

AbstractTunnel construction is one of the areas of civil engineering where automation systems can increase both safety and productivity. That is why, to promote a continuous improvement and optimization of construction processes, the implementation of intelligent transport systems and, specifically, autonomous vehicles has been proposed as a catalyst for public works construction activity, including tunnels, reducing personnel, and operation costs, as well as improving safety. Under this scope, this paper presents the development of the automation system for a 25‐ton hauler truck, focusing on the task of removing debris from public works, including tunnels. This automation system has been designed, developed, and tested under real conditions in the facilities of two companies dedicated to civil engineering works, including vehicle guidance with and without gobal positioning system, obstacle detection, and tele‐operation for load/unload tasks. The main novelty of the system is the capacity of easy integration into the production system of the works, with a capacity to switch between manual, tele‐operation, or autonomous driving modes, and with specific sensors and control systems for combining indoor and outdoor navigation. The presented work includes the description of the automation of the vehicle, the general architecture, the environment perception, and the tele‐operation capacity, including indoor navigation and obstacle detection algorithms. The proposed system has been implemented and tested in real conditions, demonstrating the performance of the system and the benefit of the automation for this application.

Modeling of planning function management in Vietnam’s public construction works

PurposeThe planning function is a central component of management principles, enabling the success of construction project management. Many works have been highlighting the topic of critical success factors within construction organizations, yet the results have rarely covered planning behaviors within public construction work management; these less investigated areas were the aims of this study.Design/methodology/approachTo fulfill this research aim, seven attributes of planning function were first derived through focus group studies, a focused literature review and focal interviews with industry practitioners. Then, a regression analysis design was employed with data collected from 139 professionals who are involved in public construction works management in Vietnam. The structural equation modeling technique with partial least-squares estimation was utilized to analyze the data.FindingsThe results revealed seven behavioral dimensions (i.e. Goals planning (PL1), Planning guidance (PL2), Strategic planning (PL3), Financial mobilization (PL4), Action plan (PL5), Expenditure planning (PL6) and Responsibility assignment (PL7)) to measure planning function management in terms of public construction works. The study also reveals that Goals planning (PL1), Financial mobilization (PL4), Expenditure planning (PL6) and Responsibility assignment (PL7) have significant effects on management effectiveness. At the same time, Goals planning (PL1) acts as the mediator of Planning guidance (PL2) and Strategic planning (PL3); while Action plan (PL5) specifies an indirect influence through the mediator of PL4, PL6 and PL7.Originality/valueThe success of this approach is expected to reinforce the contribution of the planning function and suggest a useful tool for supporting the professionals in managing public construction works.

Modeling of organizing function management in Vietnam’s public construction works

Organizing function is the significant component of management guaranteeing the success of construction works. Many studies have been emphasizing on the topic of critical success factors (CSFs) within construction works, yet the results have rarely emphasized examining organizing behaviors within public construction work management; these less researched topics were the aims of this study. To fulfil this research aim, a regression analysis design was employed. Data were collected using questionnaires conducted from 139 professionals involved in public construction works management in Vietnam. The structural equation modelling (SEM) technique with partial least-squares estimation (PLS) was utilized to analyze the data. The results revealed 6 behavioral dimensions (i.e., structure organizing (OR1), authorization organizing (OR2), coordination organizing (OR4), human resource organizing (OR3), job organizing (OR5), responsibility organizing (OR6) to assess organizing function in terms of public construction work management. The study also reveals that structure organizing (OR1), authorization organizing (OR2), coordination organizing (OR4) have significant effects on management effectiveness (ME). In addition, coordination organizing (OR4) acts as the mediator of Human resource organizing (OR3), job organizing (OR5); while responsibility organizing (OR6) indicates an indirect influence through the mediator of OR5. The success of this approach is expected to reinforce the contribution of organizing function and suggest a useful tool for supporting the professionals in enhancing public construction work management.

Parallels in German, Austrian and Hungarian Town-Hall-Architecture during the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy (1867–1918)

AbstractOur study focuses on the development of Central European town-hall-architecture from the 1860s to the First World War. We compare the town-hall-architecture of two countries: the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (1867) and Germany (1871). Both states were born pursuant to public law in this period, as well. This fact as well as the similar political, economic and cultural conditions led to similar public construction works. The increasing power of the bourgeoisie was also reflected by architecture; therefore a large number of town halls were built in this period.In our study, we analyse the functional system and the architectural design of the town halls of this region based on their façades, style and mass, thus placing the close cultural relations of the two states subject to our examination into a new perspective.

Analysis on the Thinking of Information Management Construction of Railway Public Works Construction

Analysis on the Thinking of Information Management Construction of Railway Public Works Construction

Public administration strategies that stimulate reverse logistics within the construction industry: a conceptual typology

PurposeReverse logistics (RL) is a waste revaluation process aimed at reintroducing once-used materials back into the production cycle. Public administration (PA) plays a strong role in influencing the implementation of RL in the construction industry through policy and laws. While much research identifies PA as an important driver in RL, no research yet describes how this occurs.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was conducted on the theme PA in RL with 93 relevant publications retrieved.FindingsSix strategies used by PA to promote RL were extracted: (1) legislation, (2) government subsidies, (3) landfill disposal fee, (4) government inspection, (5) use in public construction works and (6) penalties and fines. Moreover, a typology built on these six strategies was developed, mapping 15 interactional relationships between strategies, according to three levels of influence: (1) encouragement (2) requirement and (3) regulation.Practical implicationsIt was found that legislation and government subsidies prove to be the more effective strategies, with the remaining strategies greatly neglected. Importantly, however, this study reveals that a combination of strategies are most effective when appropriately combined.Originality/valueThis study confirms the importance of PA in RL, in construction, while documenting the extent of current research. The resulting proposed typology, along with 15 identified future research priorities, is expected to be of value to academics and policy makers looking to advance understanding in this domain.

Prioritising job creation without undermining public works construction among road improvement projects in rural Nicaragua

ABSTRACT We evaluate the impacts of a road rehabilitation workfare project in Nicaragua. Our results reveal that the substitution of labour-intensive manual paving of dirt roads for commercial paving technology did not undermine the primary goal of increasing access to a paved road, which grew by 16.4 percentage points. The project did not increase overall employment, but was associated with an increase in working as a labourer; though, we do not find specific substitution away from agriculture or self-employment as identified in other work. We also find impacts on education and health, extending similar findings from African and Asian regions.

Price and quality: relationship between bid rate and construction performance rating ranking

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to try to understand the relationship between price and quality in public procurement by using data on the quality of civil engineering works and prices in tenders. By doing so, it tries to conduct a comprehensive examination of the quality of construction works, which has been difficult to recognize and evaluate.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology of this analysis is to collect data on the quality of construction works from the rankings of construction performance evaluations revealed by public procurement authorities. In addition, the prices of bids of the providers in public procurement are also collected from the available data and analyzed. The relationship between the two was statistically analyzed in an objective and verifiable way.FindingsWhat the study found was that the price of the work measured by the bid rate had a positive and significant relationship with the quality of the work measured by the construction performance rating. Furthermore, the panel data were analyzed using panel data for 51 firms that all appeared in the construction performance evaluation for 12 years and participated in at least three bids in each year, and the first-order term of the bid rate was negative and the second-order term was positive and was 10% significant, which is a U-shaped relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is one of the investigations focused on public procurement construction work. One of the limitations of this study is that it is a study of one industry in the Asian region. However, this study focuses on the incentives of business operators. As such, the analysis is applicable to all situations faced by those running businesses.Practical implicationsThe managerial implications of this study include the following: although, improving the quality of construction results is costly, competitive firms are also steadily improving their quality as it is a factor of competition. However, there will come a point where their efforts come to a halt at a certain level. It is necessary to operate the business with this situation in mind. In addition to the company's efforts, it is necessary to lobby the government.Social implicationsAs a policy implication for this analysis, it was possible to evaluate that steady improvement in construction results was confirmed, but the correlation between the relaxation of the competition and the increase in the bid rate was correlated with the decrease in the total amount of public works. This highlights the problem of having to think about measures for the efficient use of the. In addition to this, the fact that the competition situation has been eased can be considered as a problem that it will adversely affect the innovation stimulation of operators, and that it will become necessary to pay more attention to competition limiting acts.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of this paper is firstly that unique data representing the quality of public procurement, which had been difficult to analyze, were collected, organized and used in the study. In addition, not only did we find a positive relationship between quality and price but we also found a U-shaped relationship between them using panel data.

Sustainable Assessment of Public Works through a Multi-Criteria Framework

Enhancing the sustainability of public works has been a key agenda in recent years for many governmental organizations. Public works contribute significantly to a large portion of engineering works and have great potential to impact the sustainability of cities. Thus, evaluating the sustainability of these projects is highly relevant, mainly regarding their impacts on environmental, social, and economic aspects. There are currently assessment systems and methods with different scopes and approaches. Yet, there remains uncertainty when it comes to considering public works’ sustainability and how useful criteria can be incorporated into the proposed assessment tasks to ensure such a goal. This study contributes to filling this gap by developing, through an extensive and detailed bibliographic research, a flexible and comprehensive framework composed of 214 criteria distributed across nine categories that measure the degree of sustainability of public works, with emphasis on economic, social and environmental goals. The proposed framework can act as a practical tool, functioning as a checklist applicable to all types of public construction works, and at any stage of the lifecycle. Evaluation of the framework by professionals indicated its suitability when encompassing sustainability objectives, its viability, and its ease of use.

COVID-19: Lessons from a construction site, can we apply one industry safety protocol to another?

More than six months after the Shelter-in-Place executive order in the San Francisco Bay Area, this paper analyzes how an essential public works construction project put a COVID-19 safety protocol in place. It describes a four-step protocol, details challenges and successes of implementation, and provides insight for construction as well as other industries, including healthcare.

“Men Diggers and Women Carriers”: Gendered Work on Famine Public Works in Colonial North India

AbstractThe history of labour on public works construction is usually presented as a masculine experience, either because the workforce studied is mostly male, or because the labour of women remains unrecorded. Does the history of labour and wage on public works undergo change if we account for women labourers? This article examines this question in the context of famine public works in the second half of nineteenth-century India. State employment on public works was part of a famine relief programme and women, largely from agricultural labouring and small peasant families, worked on the construction of roads, railways, canals, and tanks. The article traces the development of task-gender association on famine public works both as a norm and in practice. Further, it analyses the evidence on negotiations made by women labourers themselves with the existing gendered notions of work and wage. This study contributes to the historiography of labour in a colonial context in two ways: first, it adds to the existing corpus on forms of labour extraction for construction work; and, second, it explores the question of women's work and remuneration outside factories, mills, and mines.

A Study on Contract Amount adjustment due to Design Changes of Public Construction Works - Focusing on the responsible reason of the owner -

국가 및 지방자치단체, 공기업 등이 발주하는 공공발주 건설공사는 우리나라 국민경제에 미치는 영향이 큰 분야이다. 최근 SOC예산이 감소하고 건설업체는 증가함에 따라 공공발주 건설공사 규모도 감소하고 이에 따라 업체별 수주액도 감소하고 있는 추세이다. 또한, 주당 52시간 근무로 인한 공사기간의 연장에 따라 건설업체는 이중고를 겪고 있는 실정이다. 공공건설공사는 장기간에 걸쳐 시행되며 공사시행중 각종 민원, 예기치 못한 사태의 발생, 계획의 변경, 공사물량의 증·감 등으로 당초의 설계내용을 변경하는 설계변경이 빈번히 이루어지고 있다. 그런데 설계변경 시 설계변경 관련 규정의 미비와 발주자가 과도한 설계변경을 요구 하거나, 계약상대자에게 불리한 단가를 적용하는 사례로 인하여, 감사에 지적받거나 발주자와 계약상대자 사이에 분쟁이 발생하고 있다. 이에 본 논문에서는 설계변경관련 규정을 분석검토하고 분쟁사유와 개선방안을 도출하였다. 설계변경 시 분쟁사유로는 ①설계변경 규모 불분명, ②계약금액조정 단가의 일방적 적용, ③설계변경 대상기준 불분명, ④원가계산서 산출 및 고지방법 미준수 등이며, 개선방안으로 ①설계변경 규모 및 대상의 명확화, ②적정한 예산확보, ③계약금액조정 시 단가적용기준 마련, ④업무담당자의 전문성 강화 등을 제시하였다.Public construction projects ordered by the state, local governments, and public corporations have a significant impact on the national economy. Recently, as SOC budgets decrease and construction companies increase, the size of public ordered construction projects is decreasing, and accordingly, orders by companies are decreasing. In addition, construction companies are suffering from a double hardship due to the extension of the construction period due to working 52 hours per week. Public construction works are carried out over a long period of time, and there are frequent design changes to change the original design contents due to various complaints, unexpected occurrences, changes in plans, and increase / decrease of construction volume. However, due to inadequate design change regulations and excessive demand for design changes by the owner or application of unfavorable unit prices to the contractor, the auditor pointed out or disputes occurred between the owner and the contractor. In this regard, this study analyzed and reviewed the regulations related to design changes and derived the resason for disputes and improvement measures. Reasons for dispute in design change include ① unclear size of design change, ② one-sided application of contract price adjustment unit, ③ unclear criteria for design change, ④ non-compliance with calculation of cost statement and notification method, Improvement measures included ① clarification of the scale and target of design changes, ② securing appropriate budgets, ③ establishment of unit price application criteria when adjusting the contract amount, and ④ reinforcement of professionalism of contracting officer.

Compound Options in Build–Operate–Transfer Projects with Default Risk for Highways in Taiwan

This study proposes a model for appraising the overall contract price of build–operate–transfer (BOT) projects with default risk in public works construction situations. The contract is assumed to have been terminated during its implementation period; then, this assumption is used to estimate the final simulated default situation and to calculate the BOT option price. Taiwan’s highway expansion project is used for an actual appraisal, analysing the project sensitivity and default price. A numerical solution is obtained using the Monte Carlo simulation method.

Corruption and anti-corruption: a folklore problem?

The Charbonneau Inquiry in Quebec, Canada, uncovered a complex nexus of collusion and corruption in the awarding of public works construction contracts. The aim of this article is to better illustrate and understand how corruption was perceived and collectively understood in the public works sector prior to the revelations of the Charbonneau Inquiry. This article argues that a ‘folklore’ of corruption was prevalent through which civil servants perceived the criminal phenomenon. This is achieved through a narrative analysis of two witness testimonies of civil engineers, who recounted their implication in the corrupt and collusive nexus in the city of Montreal during the commission’s hearings. This article makes a case for the importance of narratives in the study of corruption.