Impact of Using an E-Marketplace in the Construction Supply Process: Lessons from a Case Study

The procurement process is critical for construction companies. To improve it, many are resorting to e-marketplaces although they usually do not know exactly how much they can gain by doing so. This paper describes a study that measured the benefits of using an e-marketplace to support the procurement process of a construction company. The study included three marketplaces currently operating in Chile. However, in this paper, we focus on Iconstruye, the most important one. 70 executives and professionals from 25 construction companies randomly selected from the 89 that used this marketplace, were interviewed and asked to fill out a questionnaire. This data was validated using data from Iconstruye and from 33 suppliers. The results show that the adoption of an e-marketplace reduces turnaround time, errors, urgent orders, and irregular purchases. A more reliable procurement process directly contributes to a leaner construction process by reducing upstream variability, procurement cycle times, and the need for large inventories on site. Users also perceive an improvement in certain global indicators when using an e-marketplace.     

火工品用外购器材的质量控制

火工品用外购器材的质量问题是影响产品质量的重要因素,阐明了外购器材的质量控制方法,并探讨了要重点抓好的几个关键环节。     

Emergency Contracting Strategies for Federal Projects

During the past decade, government agencies have struggled to adequately respond to emergency events that require labor, materials, equipment, and services provided by construction contractors. In fact, the criticism directed at government agencies during their response to, and recovery after, recent events is a testament to the insufficient contracting strategies that were implemented. Countless media headlines highlighted the fragmented approach used to hire contractors expeditiously, and several agencies were criticized for their inconsistent contracting methods. As a result, a study was initiated to investigate the differences between normal federal contracting procedures, as outlined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and emergency acquisition procedures that are permitted by the FAR. The study found six examples of waivers to the usual regulations or expedited contracting techniques permitted by the FAR. Furthermore, the study highlighted five emergency contract strategies that are available to the Navy (as one example of a government agency with contracting authority) and may be available to other governmental contracting authorities as well. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to identify emergency contract strategies that can be used by government agencies and to outline the criteria that must be met to use each strategy.     

浅析准时化(JIT)采购模式在现代企业中的应用

JIT采购的核心是消除一切无效劳动和浪费，降低企业库存水平以及因大量库存而带来的资金占用，达到提高利润的目的。准时化（JIT）采购发展至今，已从最初的减少库存水平的方法，发展成为一种内涵丰富．包括特定知识、原则、技术和方法的管理哲学。     

纺织行业采购管理信息化解决方案研究

针对具体行业提出反映行业管理特点的信息化解决方案是开发行业化ERP系统的前提，在分析了纺织行业采购管理的特点的基础上，指出应该从纺织行业供应链信息共享与集成的角度，同时在兼顾企业集团模式采购管理需求的基础上进行采购管理信息化方案设计。提出了纺织行业采购管理子系统的设计目标，阐述了采购管理子系统的结构及功能模块，并给出了采购管理子系统与其他子系统之间的信息联系。     

Determining the materials procurement policy based on the economic order/production models with backlogging permitted

This paper considers the materials procurement decision-making based on the economic order quantity and economic production quantity models with backlogging permitted. Make-or-buy is one of the fundamental decisions routinely made by most manufacturing firms. Cost is always considered as the biggest determinant in the decision to make or buy. Four terms composing the total inventory cost per unit time are analyzed in this study; they are annual setup cost, purchase/manufacturing cost, holding cost, and backordering cost. The impact of different values of the unit backorder cost b _i , setup cost K _i, and unit cost c _i to the make-or-buy decision is studied specifically in our mathematical analysis. As a result, the guidelines in terms of simplified formulas for the make-or-buy decision makings are derived. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate their practical usages.     

What should a small load serving entity use to hedge its procurement cost risk?

This paper answers the question: what should a small load serving entity (LSE) use to hedge its procurement cost risk? In doing so, it proposes a transparent process to compute a hedging strategy’s procurement cost expectations and ceilings. Its key finding is that if the LSE is risk averse, it should use electricity forwards when the forward price premium is relatively small and cross hedging with natural gas futures is relatively ineffective.     

模块化刀具系统在试制小批量生产条件下的应用

在试制及模块化刀具系统的实战研究基础上，本文对模块化刀具系统的种类、原理、性能进行了简要的分析与介绍，阐述了该系统在试制小批量生产中的优势，并对该系统的管理和正确应用做了探讨。     

Project alliance contract in The Netherlands

A new form of contractual agreement and way of working adapted from other industries, the ‘project alliance’, was researched, developed and is undergoing demonstration to reduce the length of construction time and construction costs. This is achieved through contractor involvement at an early stage of the design process, project participants paid on a net cost basis with participants jointly sharing in the financial success or failure of the project at completion, and the creation of a contractual partnership between all parties.

Cet article porte sur des recherches faites sur une nouvelle forme d'accord contractuel et sur une méthode de travail issue d'autres industries; cette étude intitulée «project alliance» a été affinée et est en cours de démonstration, l'objectif étant de raccourcir la durée des travaux de construction et d'en réduire les coûts. Ces réductions sont possibles, d'une part, grâce à l'implication du contractant au début du processus de conception, les participants au projet étant payés sur la base du coût net et étant solidaires, sur le plan financier, de la réussite ou de l'échec du projet au moment de l'achèvement et, d'autre part, grâce la création d'un partenariat contractuel entre toutes les parties concernées.     

Mobilizing the skills of specialist firms to reduce costs and enhance performance in the European construction industry: two case studies

Analyses are made of procurement strategies capable of leading to cost reduction and higher quality through the contribution of specialized firms. An exploration is made of the literature concerning the procurement of manufactured goods and progress by analysing two case studies: the East Bridge of the Storebælt link and the Grand Canal Maritime bridge. Both these projects adopted procurement systems that led to a learning process capable of enhancing performance and reducing overall costs. It is evident that the success of learning-oriented procurement strategies relies on two major conditions. First, the client's tender must be issued with an open design demanding an active contribution from the firms involved in the construction process. Second, the firms bidding for the job must be able to manage two distinct sets of skills: the technical skills relating to a specific production process and the ability to connect these skills to the client's needs through a co-design process, or what is known as the strategic intermediation function.