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Constructability is a system for achieving optimum integration of construction knowledge in the building process and balancing the various project and environmental constraints to achieve maximisation of project goals and building performance (CII Australia 1993). Constructability concepts and principles, considered during conceptual planning, design, procurement, construction and use, can make the total building process easier to manage, quicker and more cost effective. When constructability becomes an implied and accepted aspect of the total building process it has the potential to deliver real benefits to clients, consultants, contractors and users. Constructability practices have developed from application and a considerable body of research conducted over the last thirty years. This paper reviews the development of constructability concepts and the identification of the key principles of constructability, and identifies the likely future developments in constructability research and practice. Historically, the attention given to constructability has been somewhat narrowly focused on individual project stages, and therefore, the multi‐dimensional aspects of constructability have not been fully considered and the real benefits may have been missed. The findings presented in this paper indicate that the construction industry has begun to address more purposefully the concerns and difficulties of actively managing the interface between the various stages of the building process in addition to considering the facets of the individual stages themselves. In this way, constructability is becoming an important and powerful concept which can be applied beneficially to the total building process.

This paper is aimed at identifying the common approaches for improving constructability and evaluating their effectiveness of implementation.

A comprehensive survey has been carried out on contemporary literature, i.e. from 1990 onwards, to trace the development of the buildability and constructability concepts and the common approaches of improvement.

Results show that buildability is mainly concerned with design, quality of built products, ease of construction, as well as efficient and economical construction. Constructability emphasises integration of construction knowledge and experience at various project stages; optimisation of different project requirements to achieve overall goals; and ease of construction. Therefore, “constructability” embraces the concept of “buildability”. The implementation of Quantified Assessment, Constructability Review and Constructability Programmes are the three commonly adopted approaches.

Improvement measures should be implemented at the design stage, whereas improved constructability would eventually bring about tangible benefits in terms of time, cost, quality and safety. The Quantified Assessment approach appears to be the most practicable way of improving constructability.

Up till now, there have been very limited studies providing an evaluation of different approaches for improving constructability. The study has offered an insight into the commonly adopted improvement measures, highlighting proven success cases, hence enabling effective strategies to be developed for enhancing constructability.

The fragmented and highly competitive nature of the construction industry (CI) limits efficiencies and inhibits communication. However, through the effective use of information technology (IT), these communication barriers between clients, consultants, suppliers, subcontractors and contractors can be broken down. Public sector clients in Australia have proposed an IT implementation strategy with the aim of improving communication and increasing productivity in the CI. However, IT is relatively new to the industry and so are the problems associated with it especially for the small subcontractors. The aims of this paper are to examine the current usage of IT by Australian subcontractors, and to identify the potential problems for subcontractors in IT implementation. The results indicate that the uptake of email and the internet by subcontractors is at a low level and the awareness of IT training and education is very low. The indications are that Australian subcontractors are not yet ready for the implementation of even rudimentary IT technology.

Construction time performance (CTP) factors recently identified in work commissioned by the Construction Industry Institute Australia (CIIA) indicate that project team effectiveness significantly influences CTP. Project complexity also was found to significantly contribute to CTP. However, no residential projects were studied in that survey. This paper reports upon CTP research undertaken into Australian multi‐unit residential construction that fills this theory gap. Results indicate that the construction management (CM) team's effectiveness in managing theconstruction process has a major but not predominant role in influencing CTP. Team communication effectiveness and teamwork factors are also essential factors influencing CTP. Other factors found to affect CTP include: design team's management style; intra‐team working relationships; the degree of experience and expertise for the same type and size of project; procurement method; and the level of the CM team's current workload.

Owing to increasing demands for new infrastructure and a reduction in public sector investment, Australian governments are increasingly turning to the private sector to form partnerships in the design, construction, ownership and operation of public sector projects. This paper aims to focus on the use of public‐private partnerships (PPPs) to procure “social infrastructure projects”, such as schools, hospitals and prisons. The research seeks to map the current extent of PPPs and to present some preliminary findings on the cost of bidding.

The research traces the origins of social infrastructure PPPs in Australia and gives an up‐to‐date account by mapping projects that are either completed to date or in the pipeline. The research also describes preliminary findings on additional costs likely to be incurred in bidding for social infrastructure PPPs. A semi‐structured interview process involving senior managers from private sector PPP stakeholders was used in conjunction with a review of project documentation.

Social infrastructure projects are characterised as generally being smaller in scale than economic infrastructure projects (motorways, bridges, tunnels, etc.) and, by their very nature, also tend to be complex, particularly in terms of ongoing involvement with the community. Thus, private‐sector bidders for social infrastructure PPP projects are often presented with a situation where the financial rewards are less and the operational demands are more complex than for hard economic PPP projects. The private sector would welcome increased risk transfer from the public sector and subsequently greater involvement in the operational stages of social infrastructure PPPs.

The outcome of the research project is of assistance to decision takers in both the public and private sectors by making explicit factors which are currently accepted as being implicit in PPP bidding and project evaluation. Ongoing research into PPPs is vital to ensure the development of sustainable procurements methods, the continued funding of a nation's infrastructure, successful operational viability, fair risk distribution and subsequent financial success and that greater rewards are provided for all stakeholders, particularly the community at large.

Since the emergence of partnering in the construction industry in the late 1980s, it has received a great deal of attention from practitioners and researchers. The published research that is presented in the major journals typically advocates guidelines and models for implementing partnering. To date, however, no paper has attempted to summarize and present a critique of the existing partnering literature. This paper, therefore, reviews the partnering literature that has been published in four high quality rating journals, these being Construction Management and Economics. ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management and ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering. It is concluded that there were four major themes of empirical studies, which were research on project partnering, examining a dual relationship, international partnering and a special application of partnering. Moreover, nonempirical studies were classified as the types of partnering, partnering models, partnering processes and partnering structure. The review provided in this paper ‘polishes the signposts’ and offers new directions for partnering research and its application in construction. Future studies are recommended to emphasize on the identification of performance measures and critical success factors, development and test of partnering models and processes, and the formation and selection of partnering strategy.

Seeks to explore the brokerage role of facilities manager in hospitals, based on the premise that facilities management (FM) is largely concerned with “strategic brokerage”. Strategic brokerage is the term coined by Akhaghi to explain the integration of a wide range of support services to ensure the effective operation of the core business of an organization.

The research was conducted in the health service sector using a single case study approach to examine the brokerage potential for FM in a hospital in the Sydney Metropolitan area. A social network analysis technique was used to identify and analyse the communication networks of players in a hospital environment. Two general questions guided the analysis. First, what is the brokerage potential within the FM process? Second, where are the opportunities for brokerage?

The results indicate that identifying relationship linkages between different functional units can create potential brokerage opportunities.

The proposition is made that viewing FM from a brokerage perspective can add value to the delivery of health‐care services.

Discusses the issue of developing a project design that adequately addresses the practicality of delivering integrated construction knowledge and experience in planning, engineering, procurement and field operations. There are few practical examples in the literature that explain how non‐traditional construction project procurement approaches can be utilised to organise an integrated project management system incorporating occupational health and safety (OHS), environmental management (EM) and quality management (QM) systems. Reports on a case study that helps fill that gap. Shows how the adoption of a design and construct procurement approach, together with appropriate management techniques, on a successful major freeway project in Melbourne, Australia, was driven by a sound construction planning process, and integrated the construction planning system with OHS, EM and QM systems.

To illustrate the use of a Value Adding Toolbox by construction industry designers when addressing customer value expectations using problem solving.

Focused literature review establishes the need for construction industry design solutions to deliver customer value and a Value Adding Toolbox is proposed in response. Case studies validate Toolbox use and one illustrative example is provided. Interviews with prospective Toolbox users identify barriers to adoption and inform a recommended approach to organisational adoption.

The Toolbox is found to be effective at helping construction designers to solve technical design problems with regard to customer expectations of value. However, designers are found to be initially reluctant to adopt the new tool. Organisation learning is therefore required to establish the importance of customer value satisfaction as a prerequisite to Toolbox adoption by designers.

This paper provides a useful insight into the practical application of problem‐solving tools by construction designers to better understand customer needs.

The purpose of this study is for examining the evolution of stakeholder influence and the trans-period effect (TPE) of process performance of public–private partnerships (PPPs). TPE refers to the ripple effect of project performance across different phases of a PPP.

Social network analysis is used to analyze each stakeholder’s influence on PPP performance. For examining the TPE, partial least squares structural equation modelling is conducted.

The performance in the five phases (e.g. initiation and planning, procurement, construction, operation and transition) of PPPs exhibits significant TPE. The stakeholder network varies in different phases. The most influential stakeholder is a public authority, followed by a public initiator and a private consortium.

The project type of PPPs is not considered in the stakeholder network analysis. Future work should focus on developing a multidimensional stakeholder network by considering the typology of the project. Moreover, the TPE cannot reflect the relationships between the KPIs in the different phases, and thus, further study is required.

This research provides a useful tool for measuring the life cycle outputs and outcomes of PPPs through enhanced process-oriented performance measurement. The developed PMS enable practitioners to have a better understanding of the process performance of the projects and then ensure informed decision-making about actions to be required and taken to improve future performance.

This study contributes to knowledge of performance management by simultaneously addressing the process and stakeholder management theories within the context of PPPs. The proposed PMS provides an insight into managing stakeholders’ influences to enhance the life cycle performance of PPPs.