Construction Management and Economics

Castelblanco, Gabriel; Mangano, Giulio; Zenezini, Giovanni; De Marco, Alberto

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2024.2448975pmid: N/A

Abstract In Public-Private Partnerships, theoretically, once the concession period finishes, the infrastructure should be transferred back to the public sector. However, governments are prompt to promote reconcessions by rebidding PPPs. The implications of reconcessioning a PPP that has undergone a previous concession have not been thoroughly considered in the literature. This study develops a System Dynamics (SD) model to examine the implications of reconcession in a national user-pay PPP program over the last 30 years aiming to provide a tool for decision-makers to understand the interrelations between reconcessions and the main PPP outcomes. This model explores the implications of periodical reconcessions by unravelling five asymmetries derived from reconcessions and assesses their impacts on longer average concession periods, higher project expenditures, higher user fees, lower uncertainty and reduced demand volatility. Findings have important implications for PPP policymakers who should thoroughly consider reconcessions implications on PPP program expenses and reliance on user revenues that may trigger erosion of social legitimacy and potential program closure due to user fee increases, demand elasticity, and demand volatility when making decisions about reconcessions in PPP programs. The model’s reliability is tested based on a national toll road PPP program including more than 60 projects.

Fredriksson, Anna; Kjellsdotter Ivert, Linea; Naz, Farah

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2025.2449996pmid: N/A

Abstract Logistics plays a crucial role in the construction industry due to its numerous actors, frequent transportation needs, significant community impact, and high level of variability. However, there is a lack of awareness among actors regarding the importance of logistics and how it can create value. The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the logistics service value co-creation process in construction. Methodologically, the study uses interviews involving third-party logistics (TPL) providers, main contractors, and subcontractors. Service blueprinting is employed to visualise logistics services within a construction logistics setup (CLS). It was found that in a loosely coupled system like construction, value co-creation is driven by trust and commitment, allowing the necessary time for learning. Service blueprinting helps visualise the connection between service design and the value of different service modules. However, risks include delayed actor involvement downstream the supply chain and potential lack of coordination between service modules, especially with multiple TPL providers. A contribution to the logistics service literature is that modularisation makes it easier to design the service content; however, the number of actors may increase. Hence, the modularisation simplifies the service content but not the service value creation or the value co-creation process.

Van Uden, Mart; Wamelink, Hans; Van Bueren, Ellen; Heurkens, Erwin

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2025.2451618pmid: N/A

Abstract Despite growing government and market interest to use Circular Building Hubs for reusing construction components, few academic articles have been written about them. We know little about the potential of hubs to answer to the challenges of reuse in the present and future, and their potential to drive systemic changes towards a circular economy. Using various qualitative research methods, this article aims to respond to this research gap by applying social practice theory and the multilevel perspective on past and future practice reconfigurations within the system-of-practices in which these hubs reside. Results show that within hubs reconfiguration from demolition to deconstruction and repair and refurbishment practices have been developed. However, selling components remains challenging, and procurement for reuse and design skill remain underdeveloped. Practitioners expect the system-of-practices to professionalize in the coming years, resulting in market growth for secondary components. Long term, practitioners expect hubs to shrink or disappear because the balance between supply and demand will be controlled digitally. Hubs are therefore a driver for the transition, but only as intermediate step, not as solution for a circular economy. This article is particularly interesting for academics studying CE and transitions, and policy makers interested in developing Circular Building Hubs.

Miraj, Perdana; Wang, Tong; Koutamanis, Alexander; Chan, Paul

doi: 10.1080/01446193.2025.2451631pmid: N/A

Abstract There has been growing interest in the adoption of advanced digital technologies in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector, as shown by the increasing number of review studies on the adoption of Digital Twin (DT) in the sector. While previous reviews on DT in the AEC sector have emphasised the technical opportunities and challenges, reviews that take a specific organisational and management focus on the use of DT are lacking. In this systematic review, we close this gap by analysing 102 papers from three main scientific databases (Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science), which emphasise organisational and management aspects of using DT in the AEC sector across the project and asset lifecycle phases. The findings indicate that, whereas there is still a stronger focus on finding optimisations for various performance concerns (e.g. project efficiency, health and safety and maintenance performance), there is increasing awareness and interest in using DT to encourage collaboration and (end-)user participation. Despite this recognition, our review also identified a number of critical knowledge gaps on the use and user perspectives of DT, which includes how powerful computational tools can be developed into user-friendly interfaces to reduce complexity and increase accessibility to all stakeholders in the decision-making process, and how participatory design frameworks can be combined with structured feedback systems and standardised data access protocols in order to stimulate communication, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making.