PROJECT DELIVERY SYSTEM DECISION FRAMEWORK USING THE WEIGHTING FACTORS AND ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS METHODS

摘要

There is a range of contract types and project delivery systems (PDS) that owners can use in executing facilities. Examples include the traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) process, Design-Build (DB) and Construction Management-at-Risk (CM-R). A number of owners in Saudi Arabia, particularly governments, prefer some form of competitive bidding (typically the DBB method), and most of the time they insist on it. However, the use of non-traditional delivery systems is increasing, and the system variations are becoming numerous. The selection of project delivery system influences the entire life-cycle of a construction project, from concept through construction into operation and decommissioning. Owners, engineers, contractors, material suppliers and laborers are all affected by the decisions that owners make concerning project delivery systems. Owners need to assess what type of construction services procurement program is best suited to their needs. Selecting a PDS means choosing the best delivery system to carry out a particular project, which is not always an easy and clear decision. The success or failure of a project can depend on the project delivery method, and whether the method is suited to the project. There are many factors and parameters or key considerations, such as cost (budget), time (schedule), quality (level of expertise), risk assessment (responsibility) and safety which determine whether a particular style of PDS is suited to a project. A model is a representation of a real or planned system and can be used as an aid in choosing a PDS. The purpose of this research is to try to develop a project delivery system decision framework (PDSDF) by identifying the factors and parameters that have to be considered in such a model. A survey was conducted to determine the values of factors and key parameters from completed projects. The research attempts to identify patterns of project factors, owner objectives, and project parameters that could best be met by one or another PDS. This model is intended to be very easy for owners to use, while at the same time providing meaningful results that can be used in making a selection of a suitable project delivery system.A weighting factors approach and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to construct the decision framework. In this process the relative advantages of the three project delivery systems are compared according to each criterion. The relative importance of the criterion is determined on the basis of the owner's needs and project characteristics. The results of comparing the three delivery systems according to each criterion and of determining the order of importance among the criteria were integrated into a model to help the owner reach a decision about which project delivery system he should adopt.