Case Studies
Dec 5, 2018

Prioritizing Construction Risks Using Fuzzy AHP in Brazilian Public Enterprises

Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145, Issue 2

Abstract

Risks capable of impacting project objectives are intrinsic to the construction industry. Effective risk analysis has key importance to professionals concerned with construction goals, especially in public enterprises, given the amount of money invested and the demand for modern infrastructure. Therefore, this study aims to identify the main public construction risks and present a practical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model to prioritize these risks in Brazilian public enterprises. The model is divided into three steps: (1) risk identification and development of the risk breakdown structure, (2) pairwise comparisons, and (3) risk prioritization. Throughout the case study, 54 risks were identified, which were organized into eight categories. The major risk in the Brazilian scenario was “difficulty in environmental licensing.” Although this study focused on a specific context, its methodology provides a reliable and practical framework that can be adjusted to various construction projects worldwide to assess risks. Additionally, the identified risks can provide sound guidance to practitioners globally, because their elicitation was based on studies concerning different countries.

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Data Availability Statement

Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data-sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001263.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the collaboration of all nine experts (brainstorming panelists and SME group members), whose knowledge and expertise were fundamental to the success of this research. The first author would also like to acknowledge the Coordination of Superior Level Improvement (Capes) for the sponsorship provided during his master’s studies.

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Go to Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145Issue 2February 2019

History

Received: Feb 27, 2018
Accepted: Aug 10, 2018
Published online: Dec 5, 2018
Published in print: Feb 1, 2019
Discussion open until: May 5, 2019

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Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3841-8088. Email: [email protected]
Michele T. M. Carvalho [email protected]
D.Sc.
Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasilia, Brasilia 70910-900, Brazil. Email: [email protected]

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