Framework to Optimize Cost of Quality in Delivering and Operating Green Buildings

The delivery process of green building projects requires greater synergy both within and amongst the various parties involved to ensure compliance with the technical requirements needed to achieve their triple bottom line values. Quality performance is a domain concerned with the extent a green building conforms to standards and regulations in its delivery process and ultimately has an overarching effect on the triple bottom line objectives of green buildings. The construction industry has used the cost of quality method to evaluate the optimum cost incurred in achieving the quality performance required. Greater investment incurred for quality performance may potentially be associated with the greater cost overruns involved in green buildings. Without a consistent approach in measuring the costs incurred, effective comparisons for decision makers to leverage the costs cannot be reached. Recent studies had also emphasized on the client choice of the delivery system (design-bid-build, design and build, construction management agency) to have an impact on the overall success of the project but the extent quality performance was investigated was not as thorough as for cost and time performances. The case study provided shows the challenges design and build project faces in terms of quality performance due to the inherent nature of the contractual arrangement.