Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

Buried municipal infrastructure is rapidly expanding due to increased urbanization. Subsequently, engineers and contractors are faced with having to designate the most effective method of installing new buried infrastructure while being mindful of cost considerations. In order to determine the most feasible underground construction method, various risks and cost factors must be assessed and analyzed. A comprehensive survey was conducted to solicit input from 28 contractors in various geographical regions throughout the United States and Canada. The intent was to determine specific risk factors and their inherent impacts, as well as to better understand cost comparison between horizontal directional drilling and traditional open-cut construction methods. This paper is relevant to practitioners and researchers because it identifies and describes risks and cost factors from a contractor perspective that can be used for evaluating installation options for small diameter pipelines in an urban environment.

Float ownership is one of the controversial issues in the litigation of delay claims. As float time does not always affect the overall project completion time, many believe that this time can be used by any of the project parties and that it does not belong to a particular party. This study introduces the “total risk approach” for float allocation, a new approach that integrates several current approaches to allocate float among project parties. The approach is based on the basic concept that the party who has the greatest risk in a project should be entitled to float ownership and deserves compensation from other project parties who increase the risk associated with the project by consuming the float. This new approach takes into consideration the changes in float that may occur as a result of actions that delay or accelerate the project’s schedule.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of three different infrastructure assessment tools currently used by the U.S. Army’s combat engineer small units (squad, platoon, company). The infrastructure assessment tools included one pen and paper checklist and two software-based tools based on specialized handheld hardware for data collection in combat conditions. Evaluation was conducted using macroergonomic and applied cognitive task analysis methods with soldiers of varying levels of infrastructure assessment expertise. Each assessment method was evaluated based on performance (time, errors, and accuracy) and usability (ergonomic and cognitive challenges). We found that soldiers documented more accurate data using handheld digital devices instead of pen-and-paper assessment forms, but there was little difference in time between the methods. Contrary to initial expectation, we also found that most soldiers prefer a slightly more difficult to use handheld assessment device with customized checklists rather than an easier to use, less restrictive device. Critiques developed by this research can be used to improve engineering and construction organizations as well as add to our design guidelines for portable infrastructure assessment tools and methods.

The past decade has witnessed the steady growth of Chinese international contractors (CICs), who have become important and influential players in the international market. The enormous development demands worldwide, especially in developing countries, attract CICs to engage in the market. Similarly, the strong support from the Chinese government plays an important role for the expansion of Chinese contractors globally. Some leading CICs perform very well in certain fields and countries. This brings the competitiveness of CICs to the attention of the international community. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) approach was adopted in order to analyze CICs’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in international construction markets. Literature from various sources was reviewed in the first instance, which is followed by an interview survey with 42 CICs employees. A SWOT strategy matrix is used to establish a framework that can help CICs to select suitable business development strategies in overseas markets. The applicability of the strategy framework was tested through the case study of two CICs. The strategies to reinforce their positions in the international market were studied based on the SWOT analysis. The results indicate that CICs are on their way to becoming major competitors to other overseas contractors. In essence, the research results offer a valuable reference of practices that construction firms need to master in order to survive and grow in the international market.

This paper presents a decision support tool that is intended to help highway agencies in evaluating the suitability of nighttime construction for highway projects. This tool was developed as part of a research project sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The tool is a simple software package that was developed using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and Visual Basic for Applications. The proposed tool utilizes the cost-effectiveness analysis as a basis for comparison between daytime and nighttime operations. The proposed tool is mainly used whenever night shift is thought of as an alternative to the conventional daytime shift. Nonetheless, the tool is also generic in the sense that it can be used to compare different alternative plans such as different lane closure strategies or scheduling alternatives.

Construction projects involve multistakeholders (e.g., architects, structural engineers, surveyors, contractors, suppliers, etc.) completing a large number of unpredictable tasks in a complex process within a limited period of time. Construction project managers (C-PMs) are the key persons in achieving project success throughout the construction process, as they are responsible for planning the construction program, organizing human resources, controlling operations and the budget, and forecasting probable difficulties. Hence, C-PMs always encounter a great deal of stress in construction projects. Apart from the subjective feelings experienced by individual C-PMs, C-PMs may also feel objective stress due to the deviation between their actual abilities and their expected abilities on tasks or projects. To understand the integrated relationships between the various stressors and stresses of C-PMs, a survey was conducted of 108 C-PMs in Hong Kong. This paper attempts to investigate the causal relationships between stressors and stresses (both subjective and objective). The study reveals seven stressors of C-PMs in the industry. Based on the results of a correlation coefficient, an optimized stressor–stress structural equation model is established. Four critical stressors were found to have significant impact on both the subjective and the objective stresses of C-PMs, including work overload, poor interpersonal relationships, poor work environment, and poor nonwork environment. A number of recommendations were made for both construction companies and individual C-PMs in their offices and at home in order to optimize their work performance in the real world.