工程项目组织激励模式研究

工程项目的实施过程中,业主与承包人及其它项目参与人间的摩擦日益严重,对于业主来说,选择一种合适的激励模式及激励强度是至关重要的。以成熟的企业组织激励理论为基础,系统地研究了工程项目组织的激励模式及选择问题,有助于系统地了解工程项目组织激励理论,指导建筑企业的激励实践。     

Design-and-build contractors' service quality in public projects in Singapore

In the construction industry, total quality comprises corporate service quality, project service quality and quality of the constructed facility. This study investigates the project service quality of design-and-build (D&B) contractors when undertaking projects for public sector clients in Singapore. Service quality is operationalized into five determinants: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangible. From these, 34 attributes that may affect project service quality in D&B projects are identified. A questionnaire is used to ascertain clients' service quality expectations of these 34 attributes. The clients were also asked the extent to which D&B contractors achieve project service quality. It is found that D&B contractors did not meet clients' expectations in all the five dimensions of service quality. This means that D&B contractors are not giving clients the satisfaction that they hope for. This study offers D&B contractors feedback relating to clients' expectations of their service delivery and the areas of service that need to be improved in order to provide quality service that will satisfy public sector clients.     

How (do) internal capabilities and the geography of business networks shape the performance of contractors in public procurement tenders? Evidence from the construction industry

Public procurement tenders (PPTs) represent one of the largest sources of income for construction companies; the identification of factors that could favour the winning of these projects becomes more and more interesting. Our work aims to explore how firm-specific capabilities (project management, project administration and innovation) and the geography of its business network shape the success of contractors in winning PPTs, measured as the average value of projects won by the firms. We propose an empirical study of contractors involved in public procurement projects in the construction industry in three Italian regions from 2008 to 2012 employing a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. This methodology allows analysing how different combinations of causal conditions contribute to an outcome. Our research highlights that there are three successful strategies for firms attempting to obtain high-value PPT projects: (1) invest in high-level project management capabilities, engage in business networks with distant clients and intensify innovation capacity; (2) invest in high-level project administration capabilities, engage in business networks with local clients and suppliers (within 100 km), report a large number of certifications and show a high innovation capacity; and (3) invest in growth strategies to increase the size of the company.     

Interpersonal trust and inter‐firm trust in construction projects

Working relationships are important in effecting project performance and cooperation is believed to be a behavioural consequence of trust. Trust, being a quality of relationships, involves people interacting at interpersonal and inter‐firm levels. This is investigated through 10 partnering and non‐partnering projects, using a validated trust scale. A case study approach is used to collect qualitative data through a quantitative approach to help understand the concept of trust. Data were collected from clients, contractors, consultants and subcontractors. Clients and contractors have a tendency to trust individuals whereas contractors and subcontractors have a tendency to trust firms. Inter‐firm trust is better understood than interpersonal trust; but both are associated with keeping commitments and demonstrating cooperation, even though interpersonal trust is considered more important. Partnering does not necessarily exhibit more trust than non‐partnering projects whereas clients and contractors have different emphasis on interpersonal and inter‐firm trust. Therefore, to promote trusting relationships in multi‐parties is to fulfil not only the technological and economical goals, but also the moral and social goals as expressed in people relationships such that a socially safe working place can be created. For this reason, middle managers need to know about trust because they face more relationship problems than others.     

Impact of pre‐construction planning and project characteristics on performance in the US electrical construction industry

The mild recession experienced in the early part of this decade forced many US electrical contractors to reduce their profit margins as a way to win jobs and survive economically. However, to make up for lower profit margins, contractors turned to ‘better planning’ as a method for improving their efficiency and increasing their profitability. In general, contractors believe that better planning contributes to better project performance, but the evidence has been mostly anecdotal. A study was conducted recently that transformed anecdotal evidence about the impact of pre‐construction planning on performance into quantitative evidence. The research resulted in the development of a model pre‐construction planning process that was based on outstanding projects that were well planned and performed well. The study quantified the relationship between pre‐construction planning activities, project characteristics and performance, and a separate validation study found that those projects that performed a comprehensive planning process similar to the model planning process were more likely to achieve their estimated work hours, profit, budget and completion goals.     

An analysis of success factors and benefits of partnering in construction

Partnering is increasingly being used on construction projects. Partnering involves the parties to a construction project working together in an environment of trust and openness to realise the project efficiently and without conflict. Using a UK-wide postal questionnaire survey, the opinions of different types of organisation — consultants, contractors, and clients were assessed in relation to the success factors and benefits of partnering. The study shows that UK contractors and clients are more positive about partnering than consultants. The research also indicates that certain requirements must be met if partnering is to succeed. In particular, trust, communication, commitment, a clear understanding of roles, consistency and a flexible attitude are necessary. It is recognised that nothing will change without considerable effort from all parties. Respondents believe that partnering can bring significant benefits, including fewer adversarial relationships and increased end-customer satisfaction, to the construction industry if all parties involved in a project strive for its success.     

Using neural network to predict performance of design-build projects in Singapore

Design-build (DB) project success may be operationalised into 11 performance metrics. 65 factors that may affect DB project success are identified. Using data from 33 DB projects, correlation analysis shows that there are several factors that affect each performance metric significantly. Artificial neural network (ANN) technique is used to construct the models to predict project performance, and these models are tested using data from five new projects.This study finds that six performance metrics can be predicted with a reasonable degree of accuracy: project intensity; construction and delivery speeds; turnover, system and equipment quality. The key variables that affect project performance may be attributed to both contractors and clients. To ensure project success, contractors should have adequate staffing level, a good track record for completion on budget, and ability in financial management and quality control. Consultants should have a high level of construction sophistication, and have handled DB projects in the past. Clients also play an important part in ensuring DB project success. They would need to have construction experience and handled DB projects in the past. In addition, they should decide on the optimal level of design completion when the budget is fixed and tenders are invited. It is recommended that owners and contractors take note of the factors identified in this study, which significantly affect DB project performance.     

业主对工程项目安全绩效影响的定量研究

工程项目安全绩效的提高需要项目参与各方——项目业主、总承包商、分包商和设计单位等的共同努力。我国当前的建筑市场是买方市场,处于强势地位的业主有能力对项目各方面产生较大影响。本文通过对上海地区55个工程项目进行的问卷调查,采用非参数统计方法分析了业主的各种不同安全态度及措施对项目安全绩效影响的显著性,获得了可以认为业主能够显著影响项目安全绩效的8项态度和措施并对其进行了分析和总结。     

Learning approaches for housing,service and infrastructure project organizations

Capturing and sharing experiences that may be applicable in several projects is generally recognized as a way of enhancing the performance of construction projects. Several studies have reported difficulties in applying learning approaches that could be applicable for a wide range of projects. The learning behaviour in three types of construction project: housing, service and infrastructure, is examined by the means of a questionnaire study including 51 construction projects and more than 800 responses from clients, designers, contractors’ managers, contractors’ workers and subcontractors. The effects of leadership, openness and influence are considered. Based on a factor analysis, three approaches to learning were identified: organizing for learning, experimenting and networking. While housing project organizations do not demonstrate any specific preferences, service project organizations show a focus on networking and infrastructure project organizations show the highest interest in experimenting. On the basis of these results it can be concluded that learning approaches are dependent on the type of project. Thus adopting different learning approaches for different types of construction project seems to be a more relevant strategy than implementing a ‘one size fits all’ learning approach for all construction project organizations.     

Achieving best value in private finance initiative project procurement

The wherewithal of achieving best value in private finance initiative (PFI) projects and the associated problems therein are documented. In the UK, PFI has offered a solution to the problem of securing necessary investment at a time of severe public expenditure restraint. In PFI schemes, the public sector clients must secure value for money, while the private sector service providers must genuinely assume responsibility for project risks. A broad‐based investigation into PFI risk management informs the discussion in this paper. It is based on 68 interviews with PFI participants and a case study of eight PFI projects. The research participants comprised of contractors, financial institutions, public sector clients, consultants and facilities management organizations. The qualitative software Atlas.ti was used to analyse the textual data generated. The analysis showed that the achievement of best value requirements through PFI should hinge on: detailed risk analysis and appropriate risk allocation, drive for faster project completion, curtailment in project cost escalation, encouragement of innovation in project development, and maintenance cost being adequately accounted for. Factors that continue to challenge the achievement of best value are: high cost of the PFI procurement process, lengthy and complex negotiations, difficulty in specifying the quality of service, pricing of facility management services, potential conflicts of interests among those involved in the procurement, and the public sector clients' inability to manage consultants.     

Client satisfaction and quality management systems in contractor organizations

The construction industry is predominantly project based and quality is one of the client's prime concerns in their construction projects. Many clients, especially those in the Hong Kong public sector, require their contractors to have a Quality Management System (QMS) certified under ISO9000. Also, several contractors as well as clients themselves voluntarily implemented an ISO9000-based QMS in their respective organizations in order to target the various benefits perceived from such initiative. It was considered timely and worthwhile to explore the effectiveness of ISO9000-based QMSs in the Hong Kong. This paper portrays the key findings from a focused study that relate to the client satisfaction aspects from implementation of the ISO9000-based QMSs in the contractor organizations.     

资源约束下的海外工程项目进度风险因素分级研究

目前国内对外承包企业“走出去”步伐日益加快,项目规模、类型、分布有了很大的变化,进度风险日益加剧,受资源约束影响日益显著,承包企业管理难度加大。通过对实施项目的资源种类、重要性、特殊性进行分析,说明资源对海外工程项目实施的重要性。通过文献调研、专家调查等方法,从承包商角度对资源约束下海外项目进度风险因素进行识别、分类,采用层次分析法对各影响因素权重进行分析、排序,建立资源约束下海外项目进度风险影响因素的分级体系,为承包商进行海外工程项目进度风险管理防范提供指导。     

The impact of international capital mobility on the volatility of labor income

If project risk is positively related to project return, then the greater diversification available from international capital mobility also leads to more investment in the riskier projects with high expected returns. This results in internationally immobile laborers facing greater risk in the demand for their services, since these services are provided to riskier projects and the laborers do not receive the diversification benefit that capitalists do. This paper develops a model which shows that when there is more capital mobility between two countries, there is a tendency for both countries to experience an increase in the volatility of labor income under perfect wage flexibility, and this impact is stronger in the country less richly endowed with labor and financial wealth. Received: May 1998/Accepted: March 1999     

Unified Frontiers: Reaching Out with BIM

Coren Sharples is a partner of SHoP Architects in New York where building information modelling (BIM) has become integral to the fluid promotion of communication between contractors, consultants and clients on a project. This is exemplified by two projects in the city: the reconstruction of Rector Bridge, where BIM enabled SHoP to work seamlessly with a firm of custom boat builders and other contractors, and the speculative development at 290 Mulberry Street, where it became a significant means of disseminating key data to the client for marketing and financial planning. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

国际工程承包项目风险管控与案例分析

当前,中国承包商承揽的国际工程项目市场范围更广、项目金额和规模不断增加、项目复杂程度提高,相应的项目各类风险也趋于复杂,这对承包商管控风险的能力提出了更高的要求.本文梳理了当前从事国际工程承包项目面临的几大主要风险类别,并通过分析近期发生的具有代表性的两大风险失控案例,总结和阐释了国际工程承包项目风险的特点和应对措施.     

Enhanced heuristic for finance-based scheduling of construction projects

Typically, construction contractors operate under cash-constrained operating conditions. The lag between the time when contractors spend money to accomplish work on site and the time when payments are actually made by clients, which partially compensate contractors for the accomplished work, constantly creates a finance deficit. Contractors often supplement finance deficits using external funds procured through establishing credit-line bank accounts which typically allow contractors to withdraw cash up to specified credit limits. This makes the task of project scheduling considering the constraints of specified finance very important for financial and operational planning. This scheduling concept and technique are referred to as finance-based scheduling. An enhanced heuristic is proposed to devise finance-based schedules of multiple projects within contractors’ portfolios. The enhancement is achieved by replacing the exhaustive enumeration technique employed in the heuristic to specify activities’ start times with a polynomial shifting algorithm. This enhancement resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of solutions explored before a feasible solution is encountered. The enhanced heuristic was validated through comparison with the integer programming technique using 240 problems of randomly generated networks of sizes that range from 30 to 240 activities. Further, it was proved that the enhanced heuristic can be easily scaled up to handle portfolios of multiple large-size projects.     

A contractor pre-qualification model based on the quality function deployment method

Contractors play a significant role in construction projects and selection of the most appropriate contractor for the project is a critical decision for clients. The pre-qualification of construction contractors is accounted as a very important step in contractor selection for every project. The main purpose of pre-qualification is to identify an array of eligible contractors, which is required for post-qualification steps and further considerations. Although there have been numerous models for contractor pre-qualification, there are inadequate researches to present a contractor pre-qualification model with consideration of the project objectives or the project owner’s requirements. A new contractor pre-qualification model was developed with the aim of resolving this issue. This model employs the quality function deployment (QFD) method, and considers both the project owner’s requirements and the contractor’s abilities. The results reveal that consideration of the project objectives or the project owner’s requirements and expectations can influence contractor pre-qualification.     

An evaluation of the applicability of 4D CAD on construction projects

4D CAD models that integrate physical 3D elements with time, have been used to visualize construction processes in several projects worldwide. 4D models have been used and have been shown to have benefits over processes that span the entire lifecycle of a project such as collaboration with stakeholders, making design decisions, assessing project constructability, identifying spatial conflicts in construction and so on. Despite these benefits, several organizational and project-specific barriers have hindered the widespread adoption of 4D CAD. In order to reconcile the theoretical benefits of 4D models with the practical difficulties faced in implementation, there is an urgent need to explore the implementation of 4D models on construction sites as well as the perceptions of intended users/beneficiaries towards this implementation. This paper aims to address this need and contribute to our understanding of how 4D models must be introduced, positioned and implemented on construction sites, so as to maximize both their acceptability and their usefulness. We describe two 4D models of infrastructure projects and two 4D models of commercial projects that have been built and implemented. Through a process of structured and unstructured interviewing the paper gauges the response of project participants across various organizational levels on each of these projects as to the usefulness of 4D in project planning and control. Through qualitative and statistical analysis of the data we establish that 4D CAD is likely to be most beneficial in the project shaping or planning stage and in the construction stage. In the project shaping stage, 4D CAD is likely to be particularly useful in communicating construction plans and processes to clients, while during the construction phase, 4D CAD is likely to be particularly useful in comparing the constructability of work methods visually in order to detect conflicts or clashes, and as a visual tool for contractors, clients, subcontractors and vendors to review and plan project progress. Further, upper management and site workers are more likely to use and derive benefits from the visualization of processes using 4D given their lack of site related knowledge or skills, while construction professionals who are more construction-savvy are more likely to appreciate and benefit from the analytical and planning aids that 4D simulations provide during the construction phase. However, it is likely that despite these benefits 4D CAD models might not diffuse through the construction industry unless 4D modelling and analysis is integrated into existing project planning approaches. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on future 4D software development that seeks to bring about such integration and leverages the benefits of 4D CAD to bring about improved operational efficiencies on construction sites.     

A comparative study on adopting human resource practices for safety management on construction projects in the United States and Singapore

Good project management outcomes include completing projects to an acceptable level of quality, within budget and on time. As construction accidents may cause project delays, safety management plays an important role in a project's timely completion. This study aims to undertake a comparative study of HR practices adopted for safety management on construction projects in the United States (US) and Singapore and to investigate the relationship between HR practices and construction safety management outcomes (severity and frequency of accidents). The research method included exploratory interviews and industry surveys of contractors in the US and Singapore by email and post. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Compared to Singapore contractors, the results show that US contractors' project management practices place significantly more emphasis on highlighting organizational safety values to new workers and taking working experience into account during the selection process. On the other hand, Singapore contractors place more emphasis on providing appropriate rest areas for workers. Many HR practices are significantly correlated with safety management outcomes. These include: taking age into consideration during selection process and giving feedback to workers about their unsafe behaviour. It is recommended that project managers adopt relevant HR practices that lead to more effective safety management on construction projects.     

Mostaganem700套项目工期索赔案例分析

随着我国承包商在阿尔及利亚市场的逐步扩大,承包商与业主之间的工程索赔案例不断增多．因此如何减少承包商非自身原因造成的损失,使目标利润最大化成为摆在项目面前的重要课题．引用Mostaganem700套项目部工期索赔成功的案例,通过抓住索赔机会、索赔证据资料的收集、索赔分析方法、索赔报告的编制以及最终与业主谈判等方面,归纳总结承包商在此项目索赔案例中的经验及教训,为相似工程提供借鉴．