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Best practices of the engineer to minimize construction claims in government projects in Sri Lanka
No full textClaim is fundamentally a term for demand for additional compensation in relation to alteration in the contract or affirmation of right to property or money, concerning time and cost. If claims are not clearly resolved the claims may lead to disputes and have to follow dispute resolution methods which are time consuming and costly. However, claims are inevitable in construction projects. Since, the Engineer is the person who is responsible for administration and supervision of Works fairly and independently his role in a construction project is significant. Further, main source of finance in government construction projects is public funds. Hence, unique characteristics such as limitations in budget allocations, public accountability, transparency, media influence, legislation and policy changes, time impact and media influence will create specific claims which will increase the importance of the best practices of the Engineer.
Therefore, this study explored the best practices that can be adopted to minimize claims in Sri Lankan government construction projects by the Engineer. Both, quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used to reach the aim in two stages. Firstly, thirty questionnaires were obtained to collect data on types of claims, causes of claims, effects of claims and best practices to be followed by the Engineer to minimize claims in government construction projects in Sri Lanka. Secondly, five experts were interviewed through a semi-structured interview to create links among top ten causes of claims and best practices to be followed by the Engineer to minimize claims in government construction projects in Sri Lanka. Moreover, usage of ICTAD/SBD/02 for minimizing claims by the Engineer and unique characteristics of Sri Lankan government projects which emphasise the importance of the best practices of Engineer in minimizing claims were discussed.
The findings of the research proved that, in order to minimize claims in Sri Lankan government construction projects, the Engineer has a vital role to treat the causes of claims comprehensively and that will enable the smooth functioning of construction project activities without baffling consequences. For this reason, it was evident that there are specific best practices like taking timely management actions and proper contract administration should be followed by the Engineer to minimize claims, in order to achieve successful completion of the project within the originally anticipated estimated time, cost and quality
A framework to measure collaboration in a construction project
No full textCollaboration amongst stakeholders in a construction project plays a significant role in
managing and completing a project successfully. It specifically helps in interface
management amongst the stakeholders. Among the various aspects of collaboration,
there are two key factors that predominant. Firstly, the psychological factors that define
a person as a natural collaborator, and secondly, the project-level enablers that
determine a collaborative project. Therefore, in this study, two inductive theories are
developed- one for psychological factors and another for project-level enablers of
collaboration. This study aims to identify the key psychological factors and project
enablers associated with collaboration and develop a conceptual framework to measure
collaboration in a construction project. The workflow of the conceptual framework is
developed in the first part of the research, and the input requirements are quantified.
Robust hypothesis testing methodology is adopted to identify the key psychological
factors and project enablers. Hypotheses testing yields three specific psychological
factors for defining a person as a natural collaborator, and six enablers are essential
for facilitating project collaboration. These results are used as input parameters in the
derived conceptual framework to measure the level of collaboration in a construction
project
Analysis of feasibility of blockchain technology for international trade related to Sri Lankan construction industry
No full textSri Lankan (SL) construction industry has been trading with overseas suppliers to fulfil the need for material and technology. This process faces many issues due to the poor digitalisation of the industry. The financial flow of international trade is dominated by financial institutions (i.e., banks) and the industry faces many issues e.g., delays, additional charges, complexity, lack of information sharing, and requiring legal assistance. Blockchain Technology (BCT) has emerged as a revolutionary digital technology in the past decade. Key features of BCT i.e., immutability, decentralisation, distributed ledgers, enhanced security, consensus, and speed have been identified to provide solutions for issues in the various industries including the supply chain. Hence this paper aims to investigate the feasibility of using BCT to solve existing issues in financial flow with special reference to the barriers to adopt it in the international trade of the Sri Lankan construction industry. As the data collection method, an expert opinion forum was carried out by involving both international trade experts and blockchain specialists in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Key findings present that BCT can solve issues such as transparency issues and poor information sharing between parties, excessive documentation and complexities, payment delays, and financial costs in the international trade of the SL construction industry. Further, findings revealed that the government’s approval, legal requirements, lack of knowledge and technology, and reluctance to change the industry can act as barriers to adopt BCT in Sri Lan
Applicability of polymer building materials for productivity enhancement and cost reduction in Sri Lankan building industry
No full textBuilding construction contributes to a substantial consumption of raw materials compared to other sectors in Sri Lanka. Despite the excessive consumption of raw materials, industry is suffering due to low productivity and economic inefficiency. Thus, the circumstance has led to employ alternative building materials to overcome productivity and cost inefficiency with favourable impacts on sustainability. Polymer has become a global phenomenon with increasing demand as sustainable alternative. Polymer facilitates multiple applications in building construction due to its supreme properties and characteristics. Thus, this research focused develop a quantitative model based on factors related to productivity enhancement and cost reduction to measure the applicability of polymer materials in Sri Lankan building construction. A mixed approach consisting of semi structured interviews followed by a questionnaire survey was adapted for conduct this study. 12 experts were selected for the semi structured interviews and 34 respondents participated for the questionnaire survey. The significance of favourable impact to the productivity and cost efficiency of using polymer materials have been identified in the study. The study discussed the applicability of polymer types in building sector in Sri Lanka and derived resulted in a quantitative model to measure applicability of polymer adoption in the terms of productivity and cost related factors. Study concluded that inherent properties of polymers, buildability, ability to prefabricate, life cycle cost, handling would improve the applicability to local context. Further, relationship identified through the regression model would assist practitioners to select polymer materials while enabling researchers to improve the quality of the products
Initiating industrial symbiosis (IS) networks in Sri Lanka : insights from global projects
No full textIndustrial symbiosis (IS) is an ideal initiative for co-located industries to gain a competitive advantage through physical exchange of materials, energy, water, and by-products within a closed loop industrial system. IS has been created a considerable impact on the environmental and economic development through water savings, reduction of raw material extraction and carbon emissions reductions. As many developing countries are suffering from the environmental degradation due to industrial operations, initiating IS networks is vital to improve the business and environmental performance of industries. Since it is a novel concept, it is important to examine the insights from global IS projects to foresee the future challenges. Thus, in this study, PESTEL framework is employed to examine the impact of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal external factors on global IS projects. The secondary data collected from nine global IS projects were analysed using PESTEL analysis. The analysis clearly describes the several facets that could influence on industries deploying the IS networks, such as the pressure made by government, external parties, collective cost and environmental benefits, infrastructure sharing, social benefits, and influence made by laws and regulations. Accordingly, a PESTEL framework is developed, which provides a firm base to foresee the possible future changes, challenges and opportunities that can be effectively considered in strategic business decisions for deploying IS networks in Sri Lanka
Comparison between the terms constructability and buildability : a systematic literature review
No full textBuildability deals with the optimal integration of construction expertise at various project stages to achieve the overall project goals. Incorporation of buildability improves the construction project performance in terms of its cost, quality, productivity, safety, and results early completion. Thus, having a sound understanding of buildability concept is paramount for finding solutions for transforming current practices towards successful project deliveries. The numerous past studies reviewing the concept of buildability in the past have highlighted the interchangeability of the terms “constructability” and “buildability”. However, in some studies, these two terms contradict rather than considered similar. Moreover, the application of the concept of buildability is widely discussed during the design phase while some studies recommend it to be applied in the construction phase. Thus, there is no clear consensus on the clarity of the key constructs of these terms or when to apply buildability. This paper aims to systematically review the application of the concepts “buildability” and “constructability” in the construction sector and compare the definitions to understand the key constructs and best phase of the construction project for its applicability. A structured literature review covering indexed publications from 2011-2021 was carried out to identify the existing literature. Following a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) technique, a total of 38 out of 162 research contributions have been considered for an in-depth analysis. The choice of interpretations, comments, statements, perspectives, and definitions used in 38 studies were examined. The study identified the key constructs of two terms and recommends applying buildability throughout the lifecycle of the project
Challenges and issues of environmental protection instruments related to infrastructure development projects in Sri Lanka
No full textThe construction industry is required to improve sustainability to increase the rapid growth of the economy of Sri Lanka. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has introduced Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) survey, Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), and Environmental Protection License (EPL) as environmental protection instruments that have been correlated with construction projects. To interrupt the smooth performance of the EIA, IEE, and EPL, many challenges have been associated with these procedures. The research problem was approached through six preliminary interviews to refine the identified challenges and issues related to EIA, IEE and EPL with their processes within the Sri Lankan context. Based on the preliminary interview results, forty questionnaires were distributed to investigate the level of significance of the challenges and issues with regard to EIA, IEE, and EPL related to development projects. For this research, mixed research approach is used. Collected data were analysed in terms of statistical analysis and content analysis using NVivo 12 software respectively. The analysed data were revealed different issues of EIA, IEE, and EPL instruments in Sri Lanka. Especially challenges related to regulatory bodies were identified. According to the research, there were many adverse effects due to the ineffective implementation of environmental protection regulatory instruments. Similarly, it revealed that issues were affected to the time, cost, and quality of the construction projects. Ultimately, it provided proper guidance for implementing EIA, IEE, and EPL instruments and the necessity of implementation of a post-monitoring mechanism for environmental protection instruments
Identification of significant risk factors of guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contracts
No full textThe construction industry is a risk-prone industry where projects are implemented in a dynamic environment with frequent exposure to various uncertainties. A construction contract is a document that allocates the risks associated with a construction project among the project stakeholders. Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contracts have become popular as a project delivery method because they provide the client with a high degree of cost certainty through a fixed price cap that the contractor cannot exceed. However, most of the GMP projects are risky. Thus, the significant risk factors of GMP projects have to be identified to ensure their successful completion. This study, therefore, aimed to identify and rank the most significant risk factors present in GMP contracts. The study adopted a quantitative approach, which included a Delphi survey conducted in two rounds and a statistical analysis of the survey data. The most significant risk factors associated with GMP contracts were ranked according to their impact on the projects and their probability of occurrence (severity). Poorly defined scope of work and design changes were found to be the most significant risk factors associated with GMP contracts. The other significant risk factors of the projects are related to the scope of work, design, documentation, unfamiliarity with the GMP concept, agreed GMP value, and financial failures of the client and contractor
The Choice of project governance modes to minimise contractors’ opportunistic behaviour
No full textIn this era of globalisation and fierce competition among businesses, contractors in the construction industry often tend to engage in opportunistic behaviour to gain more benefits at the expense of owners. The past researchers have defined contractors’ opportunistic behaviour (COB) as the behaviour of the contractor that is motivated to pursue self-interests at the expense of the client. The researchers in this field have identified project governance (PG), which considered as management of project management can be used to minimise the COB. Trust and formal control are the major PG modes that are used in the global construction industry. However, there is a dearth of research that identified the suitable PG modes to minimise the effects of COB in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Hence, this study aims to investigate the PG modes that can be used to minimise the effects of COB. Accordingly, qualitative research approach was adopted to achieve the research aim. A comprehensive literature review followed by case studies was conducted to investigate the synergy between the concepts. Information gathered were subjected to content analysis. This study revealed that formal control and combination of trust and formal control as the most suitable PG modes for Sri Lankan construction industry. The research further identified the factors that affect the COB namely, contractors focus on revenue maximisation, external uncertainties, contractual complexity, and dynamic complexity. The study further highlighted the importance of minimising COB to help minimise conflicts and reduce the financial losses incur for project stakeholders.
Keywords: Construction industry
The Impact of social capital on exploratory innovation activities
No full textThe inadequate use of social capital to improve exploratory innovation activities is a phenomenon observed amongst countries within the world. The previous literature states that social capital enhances the exploratory innovation activities. However, identification of the factors which enhance the effectiveness of the relationship at the individual level is limited. Hence, in response to the social capital theory and social network theory, this paper attempts to examine the effect of social capital and exploratory innovation activities by explaining network perspectives of social capital. The cross-sectional survey was conducted covering 250 managerial level employees employed within the IT sector. The network perspectives of social capital: Bonding, Bridging and Linking social capital was measured through structured self-administered questionnaire and was analyzed using Structured Equation Modelling through AMOS 21. The empirical data identified that the influence of network perspective social capital on exploratory innovation activities is positive and significant. Thus, the current study recommends in order to take the maximum advantage of the available social capital, the Managers must pay attention to the nature and strength of the networks