Modeling relational transaction and relationship quality among team members in public projects in Hong Kong

Prior studies have found that relational contracting (RC) practices are helpful in nurturing good relationships among project team members. These empirical studies, however, did not differentiate by project type (i.e., public or private projects). In reality, the situation faced in public projects would be different from that of private projects since for example, some public sector participants may be indifferent to, concerned about or indeed opposed to, building close relationships with private sector counterparts. In the context of public construction projects, this study aims to develop models to explain the association between relationship quality and the extent to which RC practices are adopted. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey in Hong Kong, China. Using Multiple Linear Regression and Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), models for predicting the relationship quality among project team members were developed. The mathematical equations were validated by a case study. The models show that the relationship quality among project team members can be predicted by the extent to which these RC practices are implemented: (i) adoption of flexible strategies; (ii) readiness to compromise on unclear issues; (iii) willingness to commit on a long-term basis; (iv) attitude towards teamwork; (v) trust among team members; (vi) sharing of project information; (vii) understanding among team members; and (viii) alignment of the objectives of different parties. The models are recommended to public clients, consultants and contractors that aim to achieve good relationships in public projects.     

Effects of interpersonal relations on public sector construction contracts in Vietnam

Public owners and private contractors and consultants are expected to maintain arm’s length relationships with each other to avoid any accusation of corruption. In the context of public construction projects in Vietnam, this study examines: the relational contracting (RC) related behavioural patterns that lead to better interpersonal relations during the construction stage and at the end of the project among public project owners, and private contractors and consultants; and the extent to which better interpersonal relations affect project performance. Using a questionnaire survey, data were collected from public owners and private contractors and consultants in Vietnam. Correlation analysis shows that there exist several behavioural patterns that significantly affect interpersonal relations among project team members during the construction stage and at the end of the project, and the general harmony during the construction stage. It was also found that cost performance is significantly correlated with project harmony level. Schedule performance is significantly correlated with interpersonal relations between project team members during the construction stage, and at the end of the project. The findings indicate the important role that interpersonal relations play in project outcomes and vice versa. The behavioural patterns that are found to be significantly correlated with harmony during the construction stage and/or relationships among project team members suggest that concrete actions may be taken by owners, consultants and contractors to improve relationships, and thereby improve cost and schedule outcomes. It is recommended that owners, consultants and contractors adopt some of the behavioural patterns identified.     

试论市场经济形势下企业的经营策略

针对当前施工企业经营的特点，论述了在充满了竞争的市场经济条件下，承揽到工程任务，须从如何理顺和业主的关系，信息决策、工程质量、编标投标工作以及如何知己知彼五个方面采用适当的策略，以适应市场竞争的需要。     

The aggressive–cooperative drivers of construction contracting

Construction contracting parties can take either a cooperative or aggressive stance in pursuing their goals. This paper aims at identifying the stimuli (known as drivers) that motivate cooperative or aggressive moves in construction contracting behavior (CCB). In this regard, a three-stage research work has been designed for the completion of the research objective. Based on literature reviews, aggressive and cooperative drivers were identified in the first stage. A questionnaire was designed to collect construction case-specific data on these drivers. Next, taxonomies of aggressive and cooperative drivers were developed by the use of principal component factor analyses (PCFA). A total of three and seven taxonomies for aggressive and cooperative drivers were identified respectively. These taxonomies enable the understanding of aggressive-cooperative nature of CCB in a more amenable and logical manner. With these taxonomies, factor scales were calculated to represent the relative importance of the respective taxonomies. The degree of significance of each factor scales was then evaluated in the third stage. The results showed that the most important cooperative taxonomy is ‘openness of contracting parties’, while the most important aggressive taxonomy is ‘goal oriented’. The findings also suggest that construction projects may not be inherently adversarial. Contract with equitable risk allocation and open discussion of problems would provide the platform for team building so that relationship among contracting parties can be maintained.     

Quantitative effects of drivers and barriers on networking strategies in public construction projects

Past studies have found that network strategies can contribute to better company and project performance. The adoption of network strategies is motivated by a set of factors (i.e., drivers), but also faces numerous challenges (i.e., barriers). The appreciation of the factors motivating and deterring networking strategies is beneficial to the successful implementation of network strategies. In the context of public construction projects, this study aims to examine the quantitative effect of drivers and barriers on three network strategies (i.e., trust, information sharing and joint problem solving). The results of a questionnaire-survey of 104 public projects show that the adoption of network strategies in public construction is mainly cost-driven. The results indicate that four barriers impede network strategies in public projects: (i) a lack of continuity and (ii) ethos of public services are harmful to trust; (iii) institutional constraints hinder information sharing; and (iv) a lack of capability is a hurdle to information sharing and trust. It is also found that one barrier (i.e., ethos of public services) has a positive influence on trust between clients and consultants. Recommendations on enhancing network strategies through the appreciation of drivers and barriers are provided.     

浅析建设工程施工索赔

建设工程的特殊性决定了施工过程中索赔事件发生的必然性。索赔是建设工程施工合同履行过程中,双方当事人合法权益的体现。本文阐述了建设工程施工索赔的概念、性质和意义、索赔的理由、索赔的程序以及索赔费用的计算。提出施工企业要增强索赔意识,提高索赔能力,在市场经济条件下与国际惯例接轨,既重视工程项目的技术因素,也要强化市场经济运作,提高建设工程的社会效益和经济效益。     

工程项目的劳务承包模式研究

由于市场竞争的加剧,建筑工程项目业主也变得更加专业化,质量和服务水平的要求越来越高,对任何建筑企业都有增强竞争力、降低成本、提高利润的需求,专业化的趋势不可避免,这种趋势将使企业压缩规模,专注于提升核心竞争力,将更多使用外包的形式,利用更有效率的资源完成任务。现代项目管理有着很强的整合能力,对完成有外包参与的任务有着很强的管理能力。在从大包模式向劳务清包模式转变的过程中,如何选择工程项目的劳务承包模式,这是建筑领域总承包企业所共同面临的问题。根据工程项目的具体情况,选择一种合适的劳务分包模式,对降低成本、提高效率、增加效益有非常重要的影响。     

Towards sustainable infrastructure development through integrated contracts: Experiences with inclusiveness in Dutch infrastructure projects

Current complex society necessitates finding inclusive arrangements for delivering sustainable road infrastructure integrating design, construction and maintenance stages of the project lifecycle. In this article we investigate whether linking stages by integrated contracts can lead to more sustainable road infrastructure development by assessing public and private experiences with inclusiveness of integrated Dutch Design-Build-Finance-Maintain (DBFM) projects throughout the procurement, design, construction and maintenance and operation stages. Through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, we find that public and private parties experience that inclusiveness is increased by DBFM contracts, although differences between investigated actor, scope and time dimensions of inclusiveness exist. We conclude that integrated contracts can lead to more sustainable infrastructure development because of the lifecycle optimization incentives provided by the linked contract stages of design, construction and maintenance. Based on our findings we recommend to pursue three avenues towards more sustainable infrastructure development: green procurement, strategic asset management and relational contracting.     

Urban development agreements: Do they meet guiding principles for a better deal?

Urban regeneration involves cooperation between public and private parties. Parties conclude urban development agreements (DAs) that contain the specific conditions under which they are willing to cooperate for the realisation of an urban development project. Based on a relational approach to contracting which holds that all contracts are embedded in relations, this paper presents five guiding principles for the drafting and negotiation of DAs for such projects. These guiding principles are used to analyse four urban development projects, located in Amsterdam (Zuidas), London (King’s Cross) and New York City (Battery Park City and Hudson Yards).     

政府投资项目融资模式探索与应用——北京奥运会融资模式启示

北京奥运会建设项目采取了形式多样、灵活的融资方式,如BOT、PPP、TOT等模式,将市场竞争机制引入公共建设领域,对于财政性资金投资的政府工程项目的融资有着积极的促进作用.根据北京奥运会项目的融资经验,我们可将市场机制运用到投资、融资、退出、建设、运营、管理等各个环节,在利用多种融资手段保证工程建设的进程的同时,减小政府的负担和财政压力.     

Building Code Enforcement Burdens and Central City Decline

Since the enactment of Hammurabi's Code in ancient Babylon, building regulations have been relied upon to protect the public from the hazards of substandard building materials and slipshod construction techniques. Unnecessary building code requirements and strict enforcement practices, however, have been widely criticized for increasing the costs of new construction and rehabilitation, particularly within central cities. These burdens reduce the ability of central cities to compete successfully with surrounding suburban areas for population and economic development. In this article, we address the linkage between enforcement of building codes and construction activity. We show that central cities can capture a larger share of the market for single-family detached housing in their metropolitan areas and also spur commercial rehabilitation if they adopt more “business-friendly” approaches to building code enforcement. These gains can be achieved without reducing the degree of compliance with building regulations as long as enforcement efforts are strong. In short, one key to increasing economic development in central cities is to foster the right kind of enforcement, rather than having weak enforcement of building regulations.     

Using social network strategy to manage construction projects in China

Due to its unique culture, besides adopting established project management practices, the question is whether social network strategy is relevant for managing projects in China. The research aims to ascertain the relevance of social network strategy and identify the important network practices that foreign and local architectural, engineering or construction (A/E/C) firms adopt when managing construction projects in China. 82 sets of data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The results show that both local and foreign firms adopt practices relating to social network strategy to a significant extent. However, they do not collaborate with competitors even though this could add value to their products/service. Foreign firms also do not make enough use of political resources, relying neither on their home country governments nor the Chinese government. Foreign firms lag behind Chinese firms in not joining consortiums or enlarging the number of partners in their networks, suggesting a ‘do it alone’ stand.     

建设工程垫资承包的风险及防范对策

国内工程建设领域的垫资承包问题起源于国内建筑市场经济制度的建立和建筑企业市场地位的确立。承包人在建筑市场中处于弱势地位,垫资施工面临一系列风险,垫资施工的风险防范问题也日益成为广大施工企业应关注的问题。通过对国内垫资承包现象的深入分析和研究,从中找出承包商在垫资承包中可能遇到的主要风险及风险来源,并针对这些风险问题,从防范业主拖欠工程款、加强承包商垫资管理、完善承包垫资保障制度等方面提出相应的风险防范对策。     

市场形成工程造价机制的建立与完善

通过实行工程量清单计价改革,建立市场形成工程造价的机制,适应市场化的发展要求。通过改进现行计价办法和计价依据,采取相关配套措施,使之不断完善。     

市政工程建设中安全施工措施与费用的确定

我国建设市场上招投标全面采用工程量清单计价模式,承发包双方采用工程量清单合同(单价合同)进行计价。通过分析市政工程建设中安全施工措施特征,以地铁车站工程和道路跨河桥支架方案与费用为例,建议招标人对安全措施项目清单实行单价合同,避免安全措施项目费用总价包干使用;投标人安全措施项目清单与报价必须与施工组织设计和专项安全施工方案相对应。     

PPP项目缔约阶段的风险分担研究

PPP 项目中,缔约阶段风险合理分担是影响项目成功的关键因素。为更好地解决缔约阶段风险分担不合理的问题,对 PPP 项目风险分担原则和方法进行分析,考虑到该阶段政府和私人部门在地位、信息获取程度的不对称性,构建了双方不完全信息视角下的讨价还价博弈模型。并分析得出缔约阶段风险分担比例与双方地位强弱程度、掌握信息程度、成本损耗系数和采取威慑策略概率有关这一结论,为改善这种状况提出了建议。     

大型公共项目总承包模式混合治理研究

随着中国经济进入新常态,基本建设投资巨量化的特点日益明显,实务界针对这种大型公共项目创造了大标段招标的承发包模式。然而,大型公共项目以大标段招标总承包模式招标缔约后,缔约合同前风险不合理分担或缔约合同后的风险变异容易导致风险回流套牢业主。为此,解构了新形势下大型公共项目总承包模式的“市场—科层”的二元混合治理结构,即业主—总承包商之间通过市场选择的合同治理和总承包商-承建工区之间企业内部的科层治理。在新形势下大型公共项目建设全生命周期过程中的内外二元耦合,据此指出大型公共项目风险回流止逆路径,并拓展了项目治理理论,为工程项目实践提供参考。     

中外设计企业比较

当前国内的设计市场上，境外企业正稳步地扩大着市场份额。从北京、上海等特大城市至一些中小城市，从世博、奥运等特大项目到住宅、别墅等小项目，都有境外企业活跃的身影。在他们背后的则是沦为中方施工图配合单位的国内设计企业。面对这样残酷的现实．我们不能一味抱怨业主的“崇洋媚外”，不能仅仅感慨于老外的高收费。而是应该客观地审视一下这其中的差异所在，多从自身上发现原因，提高自己的竞争能力。本文从作者在境外明星事务所的经历出发．以中外设计企业的多方面比较为视点，论述了境内外设计企业问的差异。希望能为国内企业的管理变革提供一些思路。     

建筑工程关系合同初步研究

在传统的建筑工程合同模式下，建筑业各方的利益是分离的，相互不合作、恶性竞争与索赔诉讼经常发生，使得行业内的交易成本过高，不利于有效地配置资源和项目的风险防范。关系合同作为一种新的合同模式，基于合同各方对相互之间利益目标的认识和共赢愿景，在一个具有一定灵活性的总体框架下运作，在实际运用中包括伙伴关系、联盟关系、长期合同、联营体等几种模式，各种模式具有不同的特征及优点。文中还分析了关系合同在我国工程实践中应用的障碍并提出了相应的对策。     

论市场经济下居住区公共服务设施的建设方式

结合广州市公建配套设施建设方式改革研究课题 ,着重研究市场经济条件下居住区公共服务设施的建设方式 ,就配套公建的建设主体、用地获取、资金筹措等与规划实施密切相关的问题展开讨论 ,提出市场经济条件下配套公建的建设应遵循“责任分担”、“熟地 +净地出让”、“资金统筹”和“公众参与”的原则。