Nascimento, C R S M S; Almeida-Filho, A T and Perez Palha, R (2025) A TOPSIS-based framework for construction projects' portfolio selection in the public sector. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(4), pp. 2553-2570. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: This paper proposes selecting a construction project portfolio in the context of a public institution, which makes it possible to assess quantitative and qualitative criteria, thereby meeting the needs of the institution and the existing constraints. Design/methodology/approach: The research design follows a framework using technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) associated with integer linear programming. Findings: The method involves a flow of assessments allowing criteria and weights to be elicited where outcomes are based on the experts' intra-criteria assessment of alternatives and decision-makers' inter-criteria assessment. This is of utmost interest to public organizations, where selections must result in benefits and lower costs, integrating the experts' technical and management perspectives. Social implications: Public institutions are characterized by having limited financial and personnel resources for project development despite having a high demand for requests not associated with profits, making it essential to have a framework that enables using multiple criteria to better evaluate the benefits related to these decisions. Originality/value: The main contributions of this article are: (1) the proposition of a framework for selecting construction project portfolios considering the organization's strategic needs; (2) identifying quantitative and qualitative assessment criteria for project selection; (3) integrating TOPSIS with an optimization process for selecting the construction project portfolios and (4) providing a structured decision process for selecting the portfolio that best represents the interests of the institution within its limited resources and personnel.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | integer linear programming; portfolio selection; public sector; TOPSIS |
| Index terms: | personnel, profit, project development, linear programming, public sector, methodology, preference, construction project, portfolio selection, project selection, decision process, topsis, research design |
| Subjects: | management, administrative law, production management, research methods, decision-making and optimization, project delivery, asset management, research design and methodology, algorithms, value management, decision-making and reasoning, decision analysis, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Legal Issues, Project Management, Risk Management, Digital Applications, Human Resources, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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