Construction Management and Economics

Gluch, Pernilla; Hellsvik, Stina

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2214252pmid: N/A

Abstract Organizational aspects, rather than technological ones, often represent the greatest barrier in the transition toward sustainable construction. However, despite sustainability professionals’ recognized role in sustainable development, few studies have focused on such professionals’ work. To understand the intrinsic influence of multiple institutional logics on the work and agency of sustainability professionals, we conducted 31 semi-structured interviews with sustainability professionals in Sweden’s construction industry. Building on the theoretical framework of institutional logics, the findings show how sustainability professionals’ everyday work, depending on the work conditions, is a blend of thankless, rewarding collaborative, and visionary work. In the organizational context of sustainable construction, characterized by dynamism and ambiguity, different institutional logics are combined in different ways to respond to shifting demands and problems. To maintain agency, sustainability professionals need to shift and balance their work depending on which logics are temporarily central. Showcasing how professionals cope with institutional contexts defined by multiple logics, the paper highlights the complexity involved in managing the vastness and ambiguity of sustainability and how it requires individuals to be both flexible and sensitive to the existence of multiple logics in their immediate context.

Wang, Xiuqin; Wang, Shufan; Gao, Ying

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2216319pmid: N/A

Abstract More often than not, in typical public-private partnership (PPP) projects, the construction contractor (CC) and operating contractor (OC) serve as shareholders simultaneously. CC and OC shareholders have different payback periods and paths, which may result in opportunistic risk. Therefore, an optimal equity structure is required to lower this risk. Based on cooperative game theory, a game model was developed to determine the optimal equity structure between CC and OC. The findings indicate that when the relative complexity of PPP project construction is higher than that of operation, CC should be given a higher equity ratio. Conversely, when the relative complexity of PPP project operation is higher, OC should be given a higher equity ratio. When the construction and operation of the project are equally complex, allocating equity ratios according to market value can reduce transaction costs, based on transaction cost theory. The findings also suggest that increasing CC’s equity ratio can effectively motivate them to better complete the construction work in the long run when the benefits of construction quality are significant. As for OC, increasing bonuses is also an effective incentive method. These findings provide insights into the design of the equity structure of PPP projects to enhance their success.

Andersson, Réka; Eidenskog, Maria

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2218498pmid: N/A

Abstract Building information modelling (BIM) is a digital tool that offers the possibility to collect and share a multitude of data about a building and increase collaboration across professional borders. However, the uptake of BIM in the construction industry has been relatively slow, and previous research has shown how BIM creates tensions in the workplace. In this article, we explore the impact of BIM on socio-technical knowledge practices, to understand how these are enabled or restricted by the use of BIM. Through a qualitative case study in Sweden, this article analyses BIM through a knowledge infrastructure framework to explain the relatively slow uptake of BIM in a new light. The results show that BIM lacks embeddedness in governmental and corporate practices and regulations and that it sometimes leads to the marginalization of some professions through changed organizations and the slow process of changing complex knowledge infrastructures. This suggests that a critical discussion of the role of BIM in relation to professional flexibility, construction project process organization and power over technological development is vital for the future development of the construction sector.

Woolcott, Geoff; Loosemore, Martin; Keast, Robyn; Chamberlain, Dan

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2219351pmid: N/A

Abstract Young people’s unemployment and underemployment are acknowledged as serious and enduring problems in Australia and globally. Construction is one of the largest employers of young people, and social procurement of construction products and services has significant potential if harnessed to address this problem. This article argues that project-based intermediation offers critical new insights into how social procurement can be implemented in a construction context. Employing a single case study approach, the article uses ecological systems theory and concept mapping to examine the results of focus groups with twelve young people who transitioned to employment in the Australian construction industry through a unique project-based intermediary set up by a major contractor to meet its social procurement requirements. Addressing the current under-theorisation of social procurement research, this article offers new conceptual insights into the socio-ecological networks that influence young people’s successful transition to employment in construction. The findings also provide new practical insights for government policymakers and the construction industry into the potential role that project-based intermediation can play in addressing youth unemployment in the context of emerging social procurement policies in many countries.

Wang, Jun; Li, Xiaodong; Memari, Ashkan; Skitmore, Martin; Zhong, Yuying; Ashuri, Baabak

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2023.2220832pmid: N/A

Abstract Construction supervision companies (CSCs) in China are engaged by owners mainly to ensure a project is constructed safely and to the quality standards as required under the law in a supervision system that has existed for decades, their credibility and integrity being vital for project safety assurance and quality control. Recently, the Chinese government has proposed a credit scoring mechanism to assess the credibility of CSCs and requested the incorporation of credit scores into the CSC selection processes for public projects. This study investigates the status quo of the credit scoring mechanism and evaluates how credit scores have impacted the competitiveness of CSCs when bidding for supervising public projects by analyzing the bidding results of 5582 public projects and credit scores of 514 CSCs in Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu Province in China. The results show that (1) the average CSC credit scores have followed a downward trend in recent years; (2) the score weights in the selection process have significantly increased and the scores start to impact on bidding results when their weights are at or above 4%; (3) signs of local protectionism have been observed as local CSCs have significantly higher credit scores than non-local CSCs; and (4) high scoring CSCs are more competitive than others in terms of revenue generation. The study provides an insightful understanding of China’s existing credit scoring mechanism and its impact on the selection of CSCs for public sector projects, often a major concern of policymakers, researchers, and industry practitioners.