Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

[Or Equal” product specifications are the subject of this paper. A series of legal decisions are comprehensively reviewed to paint an operational framework for using “brand name or equal” specifications. Important issues include: Concept of eqtiality; bidding equals; salient features; commercial availability; interchangeability and compatibility; effect of contracting officer's approval; and substitutes of superior quality. By understanding the specific points captured in this article, designers and contractors can write and interpret product specifications and hence reduce their chances of being involved in serious construction contract disputes.

Construction materials management is generally recognized to be the integrated coordination of materials takeoff, purchasing, expediting, receiving, warehousing and distribution. When these functions are not properly managed, materials shortages, surpluses, and cash flow problems are likely to occur. Costly labor delays result when the required quantity or quality of materials are not available when needed. The attributes of materials management systems are discussed and the essential elements of a successful system identified. Owner‐contractor, engineer‐contractor, and home office‐project site communications appear to be critical to the success of the materials management effort. Preconstruction materials planning and personnel orientation and training are also important. The complex online computer programs that are used to coordinate the materials management effort are costly, but essential, if the desired degree of control is to be exerted to prevent potential shortages, surpluses, and cash flow problems.

Unionized construction workers in a major midwestern city were surveyed to collect data on education, training, experience, employment history, and a variety of other demographic variables. The characteristics of this local work force were analyzed and, where possible, contrasted with the data on the national construction labor force. The implications of the findings were discussed as they relate to the need for human resource planning in the construction industry. For example, the data indicated that younger workers are not joining unions in the same numbers as in the past. The anticipated result is a future shortage of skilled workers in the unionized sector of the industry, which has implications for construction productivity and for the funding of various worker benefits. The need for improved human resource planning was stressed.

In management practice, personnel functions and personnel information needs are the very first areas that are systematically tackled. This is because a manager or supervisor cannot perform his/her functions efficiently without proper information on which to base decisions. However, construction industry studies and researchers do not emphasize these areas. Thus, there is a lack of information in the construction industry regarding functions, responsibilities, and information needs of construction personnel. Results are presented of a field study conducted to determine: (a) The primary role of the key individuals at the various management levels (i.e., their functions, responsibilities and authorities); and (b) the type of information these personnel require in order to effectivery perform their functions. The management level grouping approach is used to present the role and information needs of the key construction personnel identified in the study.

Organizing large construction projects can be as confusing and challenging as managing them. Many organizational variations are possible. This paper describes five major organizational alternatives and reviews the advantages and disadvantages of each. The alternatives include: (1) Strong functional organization; (2) functional organization with area coordination; (3) functional organization wth area management; (4) area management with craft discipline staff; and (5) autonomous area organization. This paper also proposes a method for selecting a project organization that involves developing organizational criteria and using these criteria in an evaluation matrix. Such a process could aid managers in meeting the challenge of effective project organization.

One of the crucial problems that faces designers, construction managers, general contractors, and subcontractors is creating the most appealing facade of a building at the most cost‐effective price, while satisfying an owner's goal of exploiting the enclosed space to maximum advantage. A brick facade has long been considered a durable and aesthetic solution for the exterior walls. A stud wall with gypsum board sheathing is today's most economical and widely used interior perimeter material. The development of innovative construction techniques that combine this exterior facade with interior perimeter materials in the most cost‐effective and time‐effective manner is the object of continuing trial and error. The industrialization of construction components has long been considered but, as yet, is not widely used, although its future appears bright. This paper analyzes the advantages of a semi‐prefabricated facade based on specific experience.

Constructability is defined as the ability of project conditions to enable the optimal utilization of construction resources. Constructability improvements may heighten the construction‐sensitivity of designs, render the communication of engineering information as more effective, optimize construction‐originated construction techniques, increase the effectiveness of construction management policies, improve vendor/subcontractor services, or identify needs for designer‐constructor communication during the project. Constructability improvement ideas collected on a large refinery expansion project are analyzed for content, and classification frequencies are observed. Analysis of engineering rework exposes the causes and costs of rework that occurs as a result of constructability problems.

Constructors have a need for allocation of general overhead to individual jobs that motivates the project manager to consider volume, as well as unadjusted unit costs in measuring the profitability of operations under his charge. However, some pitfalls of under‐or‐over distribution are inherent in now‐popular methods that charge a job for equipment overhead by the working hour. Pursuant to the need for a more accurate method, a case can be made for determining and using the proportion of a firm's working and equipment capital assets committed to a project as a measure of the proportion of general overhead chargeable to that project for any period.

Various methods are employed to measure labor utilization during power plant construction, one of which is work sampling. Work sampling attempts to evaluate how the work force spends its time at work. This provides timely information to management in order to determine whether corrective action or detailed study is needed to achieve a higher degree of efficiency. However, the effectiveness of work sampling in demonstrating true labor performance has not been statistically verified using data collected at construction sites. This study collects 45 work sampling data points from 11 nuclear power projects and 4 fossil fuel power projects. the relationship between work sampling and productivity has been strongly supported by this statistical analysis. This study also verifies that work sampling is a good labor productivity indicator as well as a useful predictor in a productivity projection model.

The owner's role and responsibility for design and review are examined. The scope of the owner's review is outlined, together with his options for executing the review. A novel approach is suggested in using the contractor to review the design after award. Legal implications are explored.

A study of 85 major falsework collapses of bridges and buildings in the past 23 yrs has documented the types of collapsed falseworks and failed permanent structures, the construction stages at the time of collapse, and the causes of failures. Three causes of failure were identified: triggering; enabling; and procedural causes. Most failures occurred because of the interaction of the triggering and enabling events that were, in many cases, produced by inadequacies in the procedural methods. Impact forces resulting from concreting operations have repeatedly triggered falsework failures that were enabled by deficiencies in the falsework bracings, components, connections, foundations, and design. Inadequate review of falsework design and monitoring procedures were frequent problems that facilitated the occurrernce of these events. The findings emphasize the importance of proper delineation of responsibility of each party in the building process in order to reduce falsework failures in the future.

A survey was corrducted of unionized construction workers in a major midwestern city to collect data on their perceptions of the motivational climate in their jobs. The framework for the collection and analysis of the data was the expectancy model of worker motivation and performance. The findings indicated that the motivational climate is very poor. Contractors rely more on punishment and discipline than they do positive rewards. Little is done to encourage good performance. Discipline is used to discourage poor performance. Contractors provide little in the way of rewards, even when they are not prohibited from providing a variety of rewards by their labor agreements. The workers surveyed reported very little incentive to be highly productive.

A survey was conducted of unionized construction workers in a major midwestern city to collect data on their perceptions of the jobs and environment within which they perform their jobs. Construction workers have growth needs that are similar in strength to other blue collar workers. The individuals with stronger needs should respond to jobs that are high in motivating potential. Contractors need to improve worker satisfation with job context. The qualifications of the workers appears to be more than adequate for the great majority of construction tasks. Contractors need to structure jobs to improve their motivating potential. As currently structured, construction jobs are low in motivating potential.