Development of automated change order impact detection and quantification system

摘要

When change orders occur, adjustments in contract price and duration are usually agreed upon through negotiation or stipulated by contract terms and conditions. There are many pricing methods for change orders impact on productivity loss available, but negotiations using these methods do not always result in a contractor and client agreement. The most difficult issue to agree upon is how to quantify the cumulative impact of change orders on overall construction project. Cumulative impact claims imply that the disruption caused by a single change can have a ripple effect on the entire project, beyond the change itself. In order to recover cumulative impact damages, by law, the contractor is required to prove three basic components: liability, causation, and resultant injury (quantum). Of these elements, causation and resultant injury are the most difficult to prove. There has been some research performed to quantify the cumulative impact of change orders on labor productivity. CI1 and the University of Wisconsin have performed the most recent and extensive study related to this issue. This study used previous CII-Hanna research models to develop an automated system for the detection and quantification of change order impacts. In addition, a project demonstration is included to allow easy understanding for new system users. The developed system provides a simple guide for stakeholders to expedite the resolution of change order related disputes between contractors and owners by providing causation and resultant injury(quantum) analysis on troubled projects.