It has been shown that there exists a correlation between the cost of construction of elementary schools and the project delivery systems. Previous research showed that Competitive Sealed proposal contract method of construction is $4000 cheaper than the Construction Manager at Risk method of construction per student for elementary school construction in Texas. This research investigates the elements causing construction cost variation in elementary schools of Texas by comparing and contrasting the two forms of contract documents, CSP and CMR. Two schools were selected for the study, although the schools are technically in different regions of Texas, the geological record suggests that there is not much difference in the techniques used for foundation construction and hence a reasonable comparison is possible. A comparison was completed of the contract documents for two elementary schools. School A was built using CSP and School B using CMR. The two schools were built for about $13000 per student in line with A. N. Reinisch’s findings for CSP contracts in Texas, but not CMR average costs. The two ISD’s who supplied the documents were clearly concerned at cost control and appear to have managed this process. The earlier findings of a cost difference between CSP and CMR are not overturned by this study. Future studies involving a greater number of schools and the development of a central database are recommended.

In recent decades, the use of construction manager-at-risk (CMAR) has surged as an innovative construction project delivery method in comparison to traditional competitive bid procurement methods. The conceptual pros and cons of the method are widely accepted throughout the construction industry; however, very little quantitative research exists validating such beliefs. The study presented in this technical paper empirically compares the performance of CMAR to that of the more traditional method of competitive sealed proposal (CSP) in the construction of higher educational facilities. In a study of 33 projects constructed by The Texas A&M University System, 19 procured using CMAR and 14 procured using CSP, observed results show a reduction in schedule growth and change order quantity when using CMAR over CSP. However, additional results show that CSP is more apt to result in decreased project and construction costs than CMAR. Business practices of The Texas A&M University System, statistical significance testing of research data, and practical applications of research findings are included.

abstract: Much of the water and wastewater lines in the United States are nearing the end of their useful life. A significant reinvestment is needed in the upcoming decades to replace or rehabilitate the water and wastewater infrastructure. Currently, the traditional method for delivering water and wastewater pipeline engineering and construction projects is design-bid-build (DBB). The traditional DBB delivery system is a sequential low-integration process and can lead to inefficiencies and adverse relationships between stakeholders. Alternative project delivery methods (APDM) such as Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) have been introduced to increase stakeholder integration and ultimately enhance project performance. CMAR project performance impacts have been studied in the horizontal and vertical construction industries. However, the performance of CMAR projects in the pipeline engineering and construction industry has not been quantitatively studied. The dissertation fills this gap in knowledge by performing the first quantitative analysis of CMAR performance on pipeline engineering and construction projects. This study’s two research objectives are: (1) Develop a CMAR baseline of commonly measured project performance metrics (2) Statistically compare the cost and schedule performance of CMAR to that of the traditional DBB delivery method A thorough literature review led to the development of a data collection survey used in conjunction with structured interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative performance data from 66 completed water and wastewater pipeline projects. Performance data analysis was conducted to provide performance benchmarks for CMAR projects and to compare the performance of CMAR and DBB. This study provides the first CMAR performance benchmark for pipeline engineering and construction projects. The results span across seven metrics in four performance areas (cost, schedule, project change, and communication). Pipeline projects delivered using CMAR have a median cost and schedule growth of -5% and 5.10%, respectively. These results are significantly improved from DBB baseline performance shown in other industries. To verify this, a statistical analysis was done to compare the cost and schedule performance of CMAR to similar DBB pipeline projects. The results show that CMAR pipeline projects are being delivered with 6.5% less cost growth and with 12.5% less schedule growth than similar DBB projects, providing owners with increased certainty when delivering their pipeline projects. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil Engineering 2015

For centuries the architect was the master builder; the one who was responsible for both the design and the construction of a project with sufficient construction expertise to oversee the project from inception to completion. Eventually, complexity of projects required a higher level of specialization leading to the separation of the designer and the builder. Since that separation, the role of the designer, or architect, has continued to shift and evolve. In recent history, the architect has been the one selected by a building owner, at the inception of the project, as the professional who is able to assist and represent the owner throughout the duration of the project. Today however, the role of the architect is once again shifting and leading the architect in a different direction. Building owners are beginning to approach the builder through a design-build or construction manager delivery method first and relying upon them for the overall project and construction expertise instead of the architect. The architect will continue to carry the responsibility of creating the building's design and producing the construction documents. It is very unlikely that this role will change. Any of its other construction related roles, however, are being assumed by the build team. If the architect remains on its current path, it will continue to become more specialized with design and production and carry less responsibility. While the exact role of the architect of today is unclear and heading in a negative direction, the entire construction process continues to evolve and provide new opportunities. The successful architect to come is going to be the one who looks at ways to reclaim its lost responsibilities, explore new alternative services, and promote a higher level of collaboration with the build team.

För att arbetsledaren skall utveckla en logistikorganisation som fungerar mer än väl bygger detta alltid på att de interna logistikrutinerna är välfungerande. Rutinerna skall fungera om riktlinjer och stöd för arbetsledaren i alla typer av projekt. Studien syftar att studera NCC-projekt som använder och/eller inte använder det nya verktyget, lossningskalender, för att identifiera dess positiva resultat Studien använder en kvalitativ metod där författaren genomför intervjuer med 4 respondenter inom NCC. Resultatdelen består av tre kategorier efter bearbetning av insamlade data, dessa är: Effektivisering, Dokumentering och Stöd för arbetsledning. Elektroniska logistikverktyg som lossningskalendern är av stor betydelse för arbetsledaren och kan vara avgörande i kvalitén i samtliga byggprojekt. / Logistics has long been a topic for discussion that has recently gained more attention. In order for the supervisor to develop a logistics organization that works more than well, this always means that the internal logistics routines are well functioning. The procedures should work on guidelines and support for the supervisor in all types of projects. The study aims to study NCC-projects that use and / or do not use the new tool, release calendar, to identify its positive results. The study uses a qualitative method in which the author conducts interviews with 4 respondents within NCC. The result consists of three main categories processing collected data, these categories are: Efficiency, documentation and Support for work management. Electronic logistics tools like the unloading calendar are of great importance to the supervisor and can be decisive in the quality of all construction projects.

abstract: Alternative Project Delivery Methods (APDMs), namely Design Build (DB) and Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), grew out of the need to find a more efficient project delivery approach than the traditional Design Bid Build (DBB) form of delivery. After decades of extensive APDM use, there have been many studies focused on the use of APDMs and project outcomes. Few of these studies have reached a level of statistical significance to make conclusive observations about APDMs. This research effort completes a comprehensive study for use in the horizontal transportation construction market, providing a better basis for decisions on project delivery method selection, improving understanding of best practices for APDM use, and reporting outcomes from the largest collection of APDM project data to date. The study is the result of an online survey of project owners and design teams from 17 states representing 83 projects nationally. Project data collected represents almost six billion US dollars. The study performs an analysis of the transportation APDM market and answers questions dealing with national APDM usage, motivators for APDM selection, the relation of APDM to pre-construction services, and the use of industry best practices. Top motivators for delivery method selection: the project schedule or the urgency of the project, the ability to predict and control cost, and finding the best method to allocate risk, as well as other factors were identified and analyzed. Analysis of project data was used to compare to commonly held assumptions about the project delivery methods, confirming some assumptions and refuting others. Project data showed that APDM projects had the lowest overall cost growth. DB projects had higher schedule growth. CMAR projects had low design schedule growth but high construction schedule growth. DBB showed very little schedule growth and the highest cost growth of the delivery methods studied. Best practices in project delivery were studied: team alignment, front end planning, and risk assessment were identified as practices most critical to project success. The study contributes and improves on existing research on APDM project selection and outcomes and fills many of the gaps in research identified by previous research efforts and industry leaders. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil Engineering 2014

Cost overrun is prevalent in the construction industry. Usually, an owner sets a budget at the preliminary phase of a project which changes over time. Past studies are focused on analyzing the cost growth of design-bid-build projects during construction. Limited efforts have been made to analyze details of projects delivered with the Construction Manager General Contractor (CM/GC) method. This study tracks and analyzes the construction cost variation of a project from the conceptual phase to the design completion phase. The analysis is presented with a case study of a new stadium construction project. It identifies that the changes in the scope and design of the project due to the change in available budget were a major reason for variation in the cost estimates over time. Further, this study identifies a) trades with the highest variation in subcontractors’ bids, b) trades that were most overestimated, and c) trades that were most underestimated. The findings of this study is expected to aid owners, designers, and contractors of future projects in improving the preparation, planning, and estimating of future projects; reducing cost variation within trades; and optimizing the amount of contingency required to ensure the successful completion of similar projects.

The Design/Bid/Build (DBB) delivery method has historically been the most popular and the most effective means of determining the least cost for building a project based upon a set of construction documents. In recent years, however, other project delivery methods, including but limited to Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) and Design/Build (DB), have slowly taken a share of the construction market away from the DBB delivery method. The choice of delivery method that will produce the best value for an owner in the measurements of efficiency in quality, cost, and timeliness depends upon the type of project and the business culture of the project owner. A unique opportunity for a comparative study was presented by the Meetinghouse Facilities Department (MFD) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The MFD completed over 200 repetitive meetinghouse projects in the U.S. over a five-year period (1999-2003), contracting approximately two-thirds of the projects using a CM/GC delivery method with an attached partnering agreement. The remaining meetinghouses were contracted using a DBB delivery method. A comprehensive comparison was conducted measuring all of the efficiencies created by the selection of delivery method, including short- and long-term costs, direct and indirect costs, construction cycle time, and quality assessment scores. After identifying and then adjusting for several confounding variables in the historical data, the statistical analysis provided evidence that the CM/GC delivery method proved to be the best value for the MFD by producing a total cost savings of over 5.5 percent on the meetinghouse projects when compared to the DBB meetinghouse projects. Construction cycle time was 20% shorter on the CM/GC meetinghouse projects and quality assessment (QA) scores were consistently higher. In regards to a 10-year life cycle repair costs, the CM/GC delivery method produced a higher quality meetinghouse, reducing repair costs by 34% when compared to the DBB meetinghouse projects.

abstract: The demand for new highway infrastructure, the need to repair aging infrastructure, and the drive to optimize public expenditures on infrastructure have led transportation agencies toward alternative contracting methods (ACMs) such as design-build (DB) and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC). U.S. transportation agencies have substantial experience with traditional design-bid-build delivery. To promote ACMs, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCRHP) have published ACM guidance documents. However, the published material and research tend to focus on pre-award activities. The need for guidance on ACM post-award activities is confirmed in NCHRP’s request for a guidebook focusing on ACM contract administration (NCHRP 2016). This dissertation fills the crucial knowledge gap in contract administration functions and tools for DB and CM/GC highway project delivery. First, this research identifies and models contract administration functions in DBB, CM/GC, and DB using integrated definition modeling (IDEF0). Second, this research identifies and analyzes DB and CM/GC tools for contract administration by conducting 30 ACM project case studies involving over 90 ACM practitioners. Recommendations on appropriate use regarding project phase, complexity, and size were gathered from 16 ACM practitioners. Third, the alternative technical concepts tool was studied. Data from 30 DB projects was analyzed to explore the timing of DB procurement and DB initial award performance in relation to the project influence curve. Types of innovations derived from ATCs are discussed. Considerable industry input at multiple stages grounds this research in professional practice. Results indicate that the involvement of the contractor during the design phase for both DB and CM/GC delivery creates unique contract administration functions that need unique tools. Thirty-six DB and CM/GC tools for contract administration are identified with recommendations for effective implementation. While strong initial award performance is achievable in DB projects, initial award performance in this sample of projects is only loosely tied to the level of percent base design at procurement. Cost savings typically come from multiple ATCs, and innovations tend to be incremental rather than systemic, disruptive, or radical. Opportunity for innovation on DB highway projects is influenced by project characteristics and engaging the DB entity after pre-project planning. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2019

The demand for consultancy services has increased significantly since the companies began to shift from in-house staff to the purchasing of consulting services. The procurement of consul-tancy services can be considered among the most difficult service that goes to procure which means that it requires extensive knowledge of the purchaser to succeed in the process. In this report, I will examine how five public Swedish purchasers expressed their competence requirements regarding construction and design management ten years ago. I will also con-sider what type of skills they think are the most important today, and also see how the con-sultants' alleged expertise is examined. Finally, I will explain the five public purchasers thoughts on what might happen to their competence requirements in the nearest future. The report is structured in two parts where the first part is an analysis of the client's previous competence requirements. The second part consists of interviews with each individual client. The people that were interviewed all have extensive experience in project management, both from the private and public sectors. Conclusively, I will present what happened with their skills requirements over time and the likely reasons behind it, what forces that are behind changes in organizations, how the public purchasers follow up skill requirements and what they predict will happen to their skills requirements in the nearest future. / Efterfrågan på konsulttjänster har ökat avsevärt sedan många företag börjat köpa in dessa tjänster istället för att anställa egen personal. Att utnyttja konsulttjänster anses vara en av de svåraste tjänster som går att upphandla, vilket ställer krav på bred kompetens hos beställaren för att lyckas handla upp konsulter med rätt kompetens som matchar med projektens kom-plexitet. I den här rapporten undersöks hur fem svenska offentliga beställare uttryckte sin kompetens-kravsättning över bygg-och projekteringsledare tio år tillbaka i tiden. Det undersöks vilken typ av kompetens de riktar mest fokus på, samt hur konsulternas påstådda kompetens följs upp av de offentliga beställarna. Sammanfattningsvis kommer jag att redogöra för vad de fem offentliga beställarna tror kommer att hända med deras kompetenskrav inom den närmsta framtiden. I bakgrundskapitlet tillhandahålls en inblick i hur offentlig upphandling fungerar, där även konsulttjänsteupphandling och konsultföretagens affärsmodeller ser ut. Till grund för detta används faktorer bakom förändringar i organisationer, tillit mellan beställare och entre-prenör, hållbarhet i byggbranschen och outsourcing. Rapporten är uppbyggd i två delar, där ena delen utgörs av en analys av de offentliga bestäl-larnas tidigare kompetenskrav för åren 2005, 2010 och 2015. Den andra delen består av inter-vjuer med representanter från varje enskild beställare, samma fem beställare (Svenska bostä-der, Stockholms stad, Locum, Trafikverket och SL) som den tidigare delen baseras på. Perso-nerna som intervjuats har alla lång erfarenhet av projektledning, både från privat såväl som offentlig sektor. Slutligen presenteras hur kompetenskraven har utvecklats med tiden, tillsammans med tänk-bara faktorer som förklarar troliga anledningar till dess utveckling. Rapporten presenterar också vilka kompetenskrav som de offentliga beställarna ses som viktigast, hur de sköter granskningen av projektkonsulterna och vad de offentliga beställarna förutspår kommer att hända med sina kompetenskrav inom den närmsta framtiden.