Since the 1960s, researchers have provided short-term and long-term explanations for low productivity growth in the construction industry. In retrospect, the main challenge appears to be the measurement of changes in heterogeneous input and output qualities. The aim here is to review earlier...

One of the major and recurring problems in designing cost incentive contracts is related to setting target cost and a risk-sharing ratio. With the standard sharing formula, contractors or alliance partners are incentivized to artificially inflate their target cost in order to maximize profit and...

The business model construct has been widely used during the last decade, partly because of its potential to provide a holistic view of how companies do business. A test of how prefabrication could form the basis of a construction firm's business model can lead to an understanding of the...

Guidelines for prioritizing buffers on location-based management (LBM) projects are established through the use of critical chain theory (CCT). Buffer management theory in LBM has gained little attention from the research community. CCT builds on the assumption that each task is, either...

Since the late 1970s, the <italic>Engineering News-Record</italic> (<italic>ENR</italic>) has produced annual lists ranking firms involved in development of the built environment on the basis of their international revenues. <italic>ENR</italic> lists, such as the Top 225 International Contractors and the Top 200 International Design Firms, have...

This study summarises the independent competitive bid entry qualifications examination of public works in Japan. Contractors who wish to undertake public works must be scored by a nationwide standardised objective examination called <italic>Keiei Jikou Sinsa</italic> or <italic>Keisin</italic> in Japanese. They must be graded on...

One of the main aims of any construction client is to procure a project within the limits of a predefined budget. However, most construction projects routinely overrun their cost estimates. Existing theories on construction cost overrun suggest a number of causes ranging from technical...

A relatively neglected aspect of sustainable development is the creation of an enduring built environment that can be adapted to suit changing circumstances. This presents a significant challenge: how to evaluate a building's adaptability. The premise is introduced that adaptability is enhanced...

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are adopted throughout the world for delivering public infrastructure. Despite the attractiveness of the PPP structure, its implementation has not been without trouble due to multiple uncertainties embedded with PPP projects. Private investors often require...

For construction stakeholders to fully embrace sustainability, its long-term benefits and associated risks need to be identified through holistic approaches. Consensus among key stakeholders is very important to the improvement of the ecological performance of industrialized building systems...