Okoroh, M I (1992) Knowledge based decision support system for the selection and appointment of sub-contractors for building refurbishment contracts. PhD thesis, Loughborough University, UK.
Abstract
This thesis describes the results of research analysing the sub-contractor’s risk elements in refurbishment projects. One of the main characteristics of refurbishment projects is that work is usually in small packages and scattered throughout the building making it unprofitable for one contractor to undertake. It is argued that the selection and appointment of the most suitable sub-contractors is very important in refurbishment projects as all other control measures have little effect once a totally unsuitable subcontractor has been appointed. The research methodology involved the extensive collaboration of a retired chief estimator with over thirty years experience in one of Britain’s biggest construction firms with extensive knowledge in the management of sub-contractors and several other refurbishment contractors' senior management staff who were involved in choosing subcontractors for their contracts. Knowledge acquisition and representation and the evaluation of expert system shells are extensively reviewed. One of the important features of knowledge based systems is its ability to handle uncertain knowledge. Fuzzy set theory is shown to have certain advantages over other methods of dealing with uncertainty and has been employed in developing this knowledge based system. The research began with an evaluation of sub-contractors' selection and appointment as it is currently performed by refurbishment contractors. This exercise consisted of a wide range of criteria of which information is both qualitative and subjective in an unstructured intuitive manner with considerable reliance on the judgement of the evaluee. Thus, the research focused on a more formalised approach to the subcontractor’s appointment. An adaptation of the Repertory Grid knowledge elicitation technique and subsequent grid analysis provides a methodology for organising logically related propositions into a hierarchical structure. A prototype knowledge based decision support system SSARC, for the selection and appointment of the most suitable sub-contractors for refurbishment projects, has been developed. This system represents a contribution in this area of research into refurbishment contracts which has been largely neglected to date.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | collaboration; construction firms; evaluation; expert system; refurbishment; shells; valuation; contractor; estimator; subcontractor; sub-contractor; fuzzy set; uncertainty |
| Index terms: | exercise, package, fuzzy set, fuzzy set theory, adaptation, knowledge-based system, building refurbishment, research methodology, knowledge acquisition, management staff, refurbishment project, decision support, construction firm, prototype, sub-contractor, estimator, expert system, collaboration, methodology, subcontractor |
| Subjects: | practitioner, health behaviours and lifestyles, user focus, research design and methodology, organization, profession, contractual arrangements, artificial intelligence, modelling and simulation, infrastructure engineering, research methods, management, student development, decision-making and optimization, asset management, decision analysis, data management |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Risk Management, Procurement, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Organizational Design, Education, Design Practice, Digital Applications, Human Resources |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here