Luu, D and Sher, W (2006) Construction tender subcontract selection using case-based reasoning. Construction Economics and Building, 6(2), pp. 32-43. ISSN 2204-9029
Abstract
Obtaining competitive quotations from suitably qualified subcontractors at tender tim n significantly increase the chance of w1nmng a construction project. Amidst an increasingly growing trend to subcontracting in Australia, selecting appropriate subcontractors for a construction project can be a daunting task requiring the analysis of complex and dynamic criteria such as past performance, suitable experience, track record of competitive pricing, financial stability and so on. Subcontractor selection is plagued with uncertainty and vagueness and these conditions are difficul_t o represent in generalised sets of rules. DeciSIOns pertaining to the selection of subcontr:act?s tender time are usually based on the mtu1t1onand past experience of construction estimators. Case-based reasoning (CBR) may be an appropriate method of addressing the chal_lenges of selecting subcontractors because CBR 1s able to harness the experiential knowledge of practitioners. This paper reviews the practicality and suitability of a CBR approach for subcontractor tender selection through the development of a prototype CBR procurement advisory system. In this system, subcontractor selection cases are represented by a set of attributes elicited from experienced construction estimators. The results indicate that CBR can enhance the appropriateness of the selection of subcontractors for construction projects.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction estimating; case-based reasomng; subcontractor selection |
| Index terms: | construction estimating, construction project, case-based reasoning, pricing, construction estimator, practitioner, subcontract, prototype, subcontracting, stability, suitability, subcontractor selection, Australia, subcontractor |
| Subjects: | production management, Geography, practitioner, structural engineering, profession, contract type, organization, design criteria, financial and cost management, economic analysis, cognitive psychology, modelling and simulation |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Contract Administration, Supply Chain Management, Design Practice |
| 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