TECHNICAL PAPERS
Mar 1, 2008

Best-Value Model Based on Project Specific Characteristics

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 134, Issue 3

Abstract

Best-value becomes a well known procurement practice in many states in the country. The objective of this transformation from the old practice of lowest bid to best-value is to increase the value added to the project for each dollar added. This paper discusses a new concept of best-value modeling that is unique and tailored to each project. The model uses records of past projects to obtain specific evaluation criteria, from which a best-value score is determined for each contractor. Primary parameters that impact contractor selection are identified and analyzed based on which best-value model is designed. Data are collected from groups of experts in the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Two application methods are used to assess the best-value: (1) the weighted average method; and (2) the analytic hierarchy process. Although the paper is written to assist government agencies in selecting the best contractor(s), the research results shared in this paper are relevant to both academics and practitioners. The paper provides practitioners with a tool for ranking contractors based on best-value and provides academics with selection parameters, a model to evaluate this best-value, and a methodology of quantifying the qualitative effect of subjective factors.

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Acknowledgments

The writers would like to gratefully acknowledge the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for their support in funding this research and selecting model parameters.

References

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Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 134Issue 3March 2008
Pages: 179 - 188

History

Received: Mar 12, 2007
Accepted: Jul 13, 2007
Published online: Mar 1, 2008
Published in print: Mar 2008

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Authors

Affiliations

Magdy Abdelrahman, M.ASCE
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, North Dakota State Univ., CIE 201F, Fargo, ND 58105. E-mail: [email protected]
Tarek Zayed, M.ASCE
Associate Professor, Dept. of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Concordia Univ., 1515 Sainte-Catherine St. W., Montréal, PQ, Canada H3G 1M7. E-mail: [email protected]
Ahmed Elyamany
Ph.D. Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, North Dakota State Univ., CIE 201, Fargo, ND 58105. E-mail: [email protected]

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