Framework procurement for highways maintenance in the UK: can it offer value for money for public-sector clients?

Framework agreements are emerging as a construction management tool used by public authorities to achieve value for money (VFM) services. This research aims to assess whether use of framework agreements for highways maintenance projects can result in significant improvement for performance outcomes and production and transaction costs during the construction phase. A single-case study was conducted to investigate outcomes set within the context of a major county council. Independent-samples t-tests of 164 framework and traditional discrete projects proved that there were significant improvements in performance outcomes in time (finish on time), cost (payment accuracy) and quality (defects and health and safety) resulted from the framework agreements. The independent-samples t-tests also identified significant improvements in total cost for engagement and performance monitoring but without significant changes in tender prices. Conclusions from this study support the use of framework procurement for local authority public-sector clients in highways maintenance, leading to significant improvements of performance outcomes and cost savings and hence VFM services to achieve optimal use of resources. Based on the case-study findings, an informed policy decision has been made between the county council and adjacent local authorities to implement an expanded framework agreement to cover a South East region.     

对外承包工程建筑材料采购的风险管理

介绍对外承包工程建筑材料采购的几种惯用方式,分析采购中涉及的主要风险,提供风险对策,从而达到风险管理的目的.     

价值工程在限额设计中的应用

通过引入价值工程原理,在考虑了项目全寿命周期成本控制的基础上对设计限额总值进行合理分配,并对价值工程在限额设计中的应用情况进行了阐述,从而实现了限额设计、限额分配中功能与成本的有机统一,提高了限额设计的效用。     

国家财政投资工程项目建设管理中的投资控制

目前国家财政投资占我国基本建设投资主体的比例很大 ,政府投资工程项目建设中投资失控、追加费用的现象普遍存在 .如何有效控制工程费用的支出 ,是工程建设迫切需要解决的问题 .通过对现行建设程序中项目建议书、可行性研究以及设计、招标、施工等主要环节不同工作侧重点的分析 ,指出了工程建设中存在的问题 ,提出了建设单位及政府主管部门在各环节中控制投资费用所应采取的措施 ,并归结为四大控制要点 :建设前期控制、招标阶段控制、施工阶段控制、管理方法控制     

Embedding occupational health and safety in the procurement and management of infrastructure projects: institutional logics at play in the context of new public management

The research explored the approaches used by government agencies (as client organizations) to drive occupational health and safety (OHS) performance improvements in publicly funded infrastructure construction projects in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 representatives of clients and contractors with direct and recent experience of delivering large public infrastructure projects. Interviews explored the procurement approaches taken, and the use of incentives and performance measurement. Data was subjected to inductive analysis to identify emergent concepts and themes relating to the way that New Public Management (NPM) influences the commercial management of infrastructure construction projects, with particular reference to OHS impacts. The concept of institutional logics was utilised as a theoretical frame to understand clients’ behaviour in the commercial management of infrastructure projects. Client behaviour was consistent with elements of NPM and reflected a managerialist logic in the pursuit of efficiency, the use of targets, incentives and performance measurement. However, a strong professional service logic was also found to drive active client behaviour in relation to the management of OHS. Understanding the institutional logics driving client OHS practices is an important theoretical development that can stimulate reflexive practice which may create an impetus for change.     

谈价值工程在建设项目管理中的应用

结合价值工程理论分析了价值工程在建设工程管理中的应用特点和意义,在此基础上研究了价值工程在建设项目管理中以及在规划设计阶段应用的步骤,以期为未来建设项目管理模式提供新视角和新思路。     

Investment decision model of wastewater treatment public–private partnership projects based on value for money

Most existing studies analyse the early decision‐making processes of public–private partnership (PPP) projects from the perspective of the government or investors, as such decisions involve lengthy negotiations and are likely to lead to unfair results. Hence, there is a need for fair and reasonable investment decision‐making methods. This study investigates the investment return system of PPP wastewater treatment projects. The net present value of investment income is considered the investment decision indicator of social capital, while value for money (VFM) is the indicator of government decision‐making. Considering both yield and VFM, the system dynamics method and Vensim software are used to establish the investment decision model. A case study validates the proposed model and predicts a reasonable range of unit prices and concession periods for wastewater treatment through government–enterprise cooperation, to improve the transparency and initial decision fairness of PPP sewage treatment projects.     

浅谈工程投标风险控制中的有效竞争

从投标文件的编制、质量目标及工期目标的确定、报价原则三方面介绍了投标阶段的合同管理方法,着重探讨了控制投标风险,保证报价有效竞争的措施,从而保证施工企业投标成功。     

造价工程师在建设项目价值管理中的重要作用

通过对建设工程项目价值管理的涵义分析及我国造价工程师知识结构、工作内容、在项目建设中的地位等方面的分析,指出造价工程师最有可能也是最具潜力成为价值管理的促进者,最终促进了价值管理在建设工程项目中的应用。     

Examination of the best,analogous, competing terms to describe value in construction projects

Value is a crucial construct in project delivery. Yet, it is also a complex construct, with varied meanings. This study uses triangulated, empirical methods to examine competing terms used to imply value in the literature (focusing on construction projects). Deeper meaning is also provided on the subject from both the manifest and latent perspectives.     

价值工程在工程造价管理目标优化中的应用

从价值工程和工程造价管理目标优化的理论出发,论述价值工程理论在工程造价管理目标优化中的应用,并引入实例,从方案优选和成本改进两个方面来研究工程造价管理目标的优化问题,最后指出价值工程的应用前景.     

Critical parameters influencing value for money variations in PFI projects in the healthcare and transport sectors

Achieving good value for money (VFM) is the principal objective of any private finance initiative (PFI) project while sustaining it throughout the contract life is the greatest challenge. Empirical evidence is required to understand uncertainties surrounding VFM of PFI before finding effective ways to improve it. Variations in costs, time and client requirements are explored, between successive review stages of PFI projects from the strategic business case stage through to the operational phase. The magnitudes of these variations are established and critical parameters that influence them are identified. The research methods include a documentary analysis of the full business cases of five PFI projects and a questionnaire survey of 44 PFI projects from the healthcare and transport sectors in the UK. The findings reveal that the current VFM assessment of PFI projects is often carried out under conditions of considerable uncertainty with frequent changes in costs, timescales and client requirements. The list of critical parameters can help practitioners to identify priority areas and achieve a long-lasting VFM. The study broadens the understanding of whole life aspects of VFM of PFI projects and the interactivity of project parameters at different stages.     

Generating value across academic and professional design practice in the Internet of Things

ABSTRACT

This article accounts for how value in design research can be derived from knowledge exchange that occurs through the collaborative discourse of doing design. To demonstrate this point, the article details the arc and impact of a design research collaboration that extended over several years with design practitioners in the field of internet-connected devices. As a result of this ongoing collaborative work, a programmatic set of design ideals and intentions concerning how to construct a more transparent and ethical relationship with technology was shaped. We examine this sustained and transformative collaboration as a series of knowledge exchanges. Within each particular collaborative project, worldviews and knowledge are exchanged among design researchers and practitioners, enabling them to traverse ‘through practices’ of academic and professional design. To unpack these exchanges and how they built and fed into each other, the article examines how collaboration unfolded and produced value on two levels: first on the scale of the academics and practitioners directly involved in a project; and secondly on the scale of the larger international community of design practitioners concerned with Internet-connected devices, with whom we had shared our work.