Dr Ade Oyegoke

In many developed economies, green public procurement (GPP) often features as part of the procurement process, enabling public authorities to give considerations to environmental and related sustainable issues. In developing countries, green public procurement is emerging. This study which is focused on the development of a framework for the implementation of GPP in Nigeria aims to contribute to emerging knowledge discussions on GPP in developing countries. The study which is based on a comprehensive review of existing literature on green public procurement and semi-structured interviews with key informants, proposes a framework that highlights essential prerequisites for developing GPP in Nigeria. Using Nigeria as a platform, the study also seeks to provide practical guidance for policy makers in the developing world on the implementation of GPP and advances the debate on key factors necessary for GPP development and implementation in related jurisdictions. Copyright © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Housing adaptation is a rehabilitation intervention that removes environmental barriers to help older people accommodate changing needs and age in place. In the UK, funding application for home adaptations to local authorities is subject to several procedural steps, including referral, allocation, assessment, funding and installation. The five stages need to complete in a sequential manner, often cause long delays.

Housing adaptation is necessary to enable elderly people to live independently longer in their own homes. This study aims to review current housing adaptation practice in different parts of the UK and discuss the policy implications at national and local levels. It adopted a mixed-methods research strategy. First, a questionnaire survey was carried out with all 378 local authorities in England, Scotland, and Wales; 112 valid responses were received, representing a response rate of around 30%. Then, interviews and a focus group meeting were conducted with professionals involved in the adaptation process and older clients. The research findings showed that the current number of housing adaptations is relatively small in most local authorities, compared with the potential demand of an aging population. They also revealed some inconsistencies and deficiencies in the system, leading to ineffective and inefficient adaptation service process. These need to be addressed by local authorities in order to improve their adaptation systems and achieve better outcomes.

In response to the impact of demographic change on the healthcare system, ‘ageing in place’ was introduced as a national policy to support elderly people living independently in their homes. Housing adaptation is essential for successful independent living and has been given increased political priority. However, adaptation policies and practice vary regionally, reflecting statutory limits, policy choices and local planning. This study investigated the current status of adaptation provision in different regions in the UK and assessed the effectiveness of local service planning and management. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory research strategy was employed. In the first quantitative phase, a questionnaire survey was carried out involving all 378 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. This was followed by a second qualitative phase involving individual interviews with five professionals and two clients and a focus group meeting with six key stakeholders. The study found that the current number of adaptations was relatively small compared with potential demands in most local areas, as was funding for adaptations. On the operational side, the adaptation process was fragmented, involving different service groups in many local authorities. There were disconnections between these groups, which often caused inefficiencies and poor effectiveness. Moving forward, local authorities need to have a clear vision of the overall need for adaptations and allocate sufficient resources. Practical guidelines are also needed for better integrated working and performance management.

Purpose This study aims to examine the causes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) disinclination towards subcontracting in public sector markets. Previous studies have revealed that UK SMEs are reluctant to do business with the public sector through the subcontracting route, but the reasons for this lack of enthusiasm have not been widely researched. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on semi-structured interviews with SMEs competing for public contracts in North West England, a qualitative study was performed, from which several themes emerged. Findings The findings were synthesised into a framework underpinned by attribution theory, to portray situationally and dispositionally caused factors that were used to interpret SMEs’ behaviour. Social implications The findings can guide policy development and government interventions in developed and developing countries, aimed at using public procurement as a policy tool to develop the small business sector. Originality/value This paper contributes in a unique way to an emerging discourse on how subcontracting can facilitate the access of SMEs to government procurement spending. It adds to knowledge regarding the explanatory power of attribution theory – from its base in social psychology.

Degree apprenticeship training has recently gained significant attention in the UK, prompting an examination into the experiences of quantity surveying degree apprentices at a UK university. A questionnaire was used for collecting data from quantity surveying degree apprentices in their third to fifth years. The questionnaire focused on their backgrounds, experiences, challenges, and overall satisfaction. A total of 47 responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, the relative importance index, and the Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric test. The results revealed no significant differences in opinions among apprentices across most factors except the overall programme experience. The findings highlighted that degree apprenticeships create valuable opportunities and widen participation, with notable positives including pride in one’s work and peer interactions. However, challenges included employer support, training content, and balancing work with study commitments. While most strategies employed were considered adequate, it is recommended to review them to enhance the experience for all stakeholders and ensure the programme’s long-term sustainability.

Institutional environment is a key differentiator deciding performance of PPP projects. This paper compares the impact of institutional differentiators in PPP project between Australia and India based on three-dimensional element of regulative, normative and cognitive parameters. The study relies on case study approach, four number of cases were used (two from India and two from Australia). In addition, the word tables methodology based on five-point scale for scoring of parameters with the qualitative evidence is used. The result shows that regulative institutions are important ingredient for the growth of partnership spirit in PPP; normative institutions hinge on imbibing not only norms but also values in PPP processes; and complexities and uncertainties faced across PPP project lifecycle are solved through shared commitment, collaboration and trust between public and private sector. The outcome of this study will be helpful to the policy makers, which directs attention towards need for “bottom up” approach in institutional strengthening by creating atmosphere of partnership should go hand in hand with “top down” approach focusing on rule setting, monitoring and sanctioning.

Kanban is a one of the lean approaches adopted within the industry in order to pull construction materials through their production systems on a just-in-time basis. The approach is developed in the automotive industry and now being widely implemented within the construction industry with many success stories. The objective of this approach is to accomplish management of products and materials with least waste; e.g., unnecessary inventories and processing time, waiting time, as well as physical waste. The primary means for achieving the objective is to simplify the processes of acquiring, storing, distributing and disposing of selected products and material on site. This paper talks about a particular type of kanban, called supplier kanban. The supplier kanban is the one which transmits a replenishment signal to outside suppliers and from suppliers to manufacturers of the products as well as signal for delivery of material just-in-time on the construction site. Here the author talks about a material management strategy adopted by Fusion 21, a group of local authorities and housing association that use supplier kanbans to signal the need for delivery of selected products from preferred suppliers and manufacturers to site just-in-time for the operations and maintenance of their social housing stocks. Fusion21 is at the forefront of procurement partnerships in the social housing sector and is the winner of the Housing Corporation Gold award for 'Innovation in Procurement'. Fusion21 members own over 135,000 properties throughout the UK with membership expected to increase significantly over the next 4 years. Fusion21 jointly procures construction related contracts on behalf of its partner organisations and already manages numerous frameworks for various elements with current activity of over £45M per year.

Corruption in construction contracts is becoming widespread due to lack of transparency in procurement and project delivery process. The aim of this paper is to examine the level of transparency in the EU directives for public works contracts 2004/18/EC. The study is carried out through a literature review, a content analysis of the Directive 2004/18/EC and a few case laws from European Court of Justice (ECJ). The types of enforcements allowed for by the Directive and those used by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) are also examined. The paper concludes that there are a number of articles that encourage transparency and those that impede transparency through legal restrictions/exclusions. The directive addressed the procurement procedure superficially which leads to a raft of problems in implementation stage. The research is limited to Directive 2004/18/EC. The paper will increase client's awareness on transparency and some problems associated with implementation stage through case laws. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

The study focuses on managing risk and uncertainty in construction project due to the owner dissatisfaction in project outcome and dynamism within agile construction environment. The aim of the paper is to examine the agility gap created by risk and uncertainty in the supply chain processes through procurement routes. The paper identifies some areas in supply chain processes which are prone to greater risks and uncertainty and proposes an agile management principle based on the concept of integration and fragmentation in product development and execution processes respectively, resulting in agile specialists’ involvement. The paper is based on extensive literature review and a comprehensive single case study of 3-office block complex in Finland. The paper concludes that the involvement of the agile specialists mitigates against risks and uncertainty, enhances the project quality and permits a modular approach to design that permits the use of experts’ knowledge in design and construction. The proposed model serves as an agile management tool in preventing both predictable and unpredictable external and internal project changes through the early involvement of agile specialists and their integrated attributes in product development through to construction and project startup.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the construction industry in four practices. The study uses construction statistical data and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers for the analyses. The study covers the construction industry and practices in the context of economic outlook, procurement trends, licensing, construction and housing data, etc. The analyses show the comparison of the practices in detail. It also presents the effects of macro and micro economic factors in overall construction industry performance. © World Scientific Publishing Company.

The study focuses on the development of an innovative procurement method in order to improve owners contracting strategies. The aim of this paper is to develop a procurement system that improves the overall project implementation process, in order to meet the project objectives of time, cost, and quality. The Specialist Task Organization (STO) approach is suggested based on a constructive research approach, where extensive theoretical development of the STO concept is developed. The analogical validation was carried out through the review of four case study examples in order to find the analogies between the positive outcomes of four case studies and the elements of the STO route. The proposed task-oriented approach utilizes integrated product (task) development, integrated management, and fragmented execution via task organizations. The merits of the STO approach include, the shifting of competition from only single design and cost based to multiple designs, life-cycle costs, alternative materials, and maintainability implications. The STO approach assumes a modular approach to design, and allows experts knowledge in design and construction through their involvement from preconstruction through project starts up. The suggested STO route is a potential tool in realizing complete sustainability in construction in terms of environmental and social sustainability, as well as economic sustainability. © 2009 ASCE.

The aim of the study is to compare procurement performance in Finland based on key project performance variables. The study is based on empirical case-questionnaire studies. Construction project performance is measured via a rating system through key variables of time, budget, quality, satisfaction, contracting system, and the effectiveness of design management along procurement types. The measurement is carried out along design and construction phases. The procurement methods are categorized in accordance with the major (prevalent) routes in Finland: design and build, consulting CM, contracting CM, general contract - traditional, general contracting - separate trades. The results show that the performance attributes are shared between different routes, for instance, the design and build ranked first in responsibilities/risk distribution, design management and meeting of the project target while the contracting CM is better in completion time, quality level and equal general contracting (separate trades) in technical quality level. Conversely, the consulting CM and general contracting - separate trade ranked better in interrelationships than most routes in design and construction phases owing to their flexibilities in apportioning responsibilities to different consultants and trade (specialist) contractors.

The overall aim of this study is to ascertain the structure of the UK construction industry, especially the level and form of integration in the UK construction industry. This study utilises theoretical analysis of the concepts and measures of fragmentation, social and economic notions of integration, and trending analysis of the UK construction statistics data which is used to positively correlate the distribution of different sizes of firms, different type of trades and their value of work done between 1995 to 2005 to determine the structure of the industry. The result indicates that: the UK construction industry is not economically integrated because, a the number and value of work done by the specialist trade firms is increasing in higher proportion than the main trade b the strong performance of the medium size firms (MSFs) category support the fact that the industry utilises social integrative devices, for example, collaborative arrangement, framework arrangement, partnering, etc. instead of actual integration (economic) process. The study can serve as learning opportunity for the construction stakeholders by placing stronger emphasise on management system rather than point of performance responsibility. Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

The issue of sustainability continues to grow in importance because of its relationship with overall Quality of Life (QOL) in terms of economic, social and environmental well-being. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the use of Specialist Task Organisation (STO) procurement approach in achieving triple bottom-line sustainability goals. The STO route is a project management tool that incorporates value engineering management and recognises the economic, social and environmental needs of the project. The STO route from the product development point of view provides a solution based on integration in development tasks (and organisations) and on fragmentation in execution tasks (and organisations) through the use of specialists' organisations. The study is based on a literature review, the analysis of policy documents and two case studies. The study demonstrates that the STO approach can achieve three main objectives of sustainability: through embedding sustainable environmental clauses at the onset, an overall value-adding process via value engineering management and whole-life costing in the early stages and the resultant effects of specialist involvement in community and social benefits for the stakeholders. The study can serve as a tool to achieve sustainability in projects through the use of specialists in the design and construction of their tasks, resulting in environmentally friendly buildings that are fit for the purpose, achieve value for money and other social considerations. This study also serves as a tool to put sustainable polices into practice through procurement strategy. © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. This paper examines transformational changes in the UK traditional contracting systems based on its organisation and management. The paper is based on a literature review, two case studies of local authority projects, statistical analysis, and extensive interview of a contractor's top management team. The findings indicate a shift in the traditional contractor's contractual role from active participation in construction activities to a mere management role. This is due to the allocation of responsibilities as well as the transfer of financial and technical risks to subcontractors. Secondly, the findings show organisational similarities between traditional and management contracting systems which are an indicative explanation as to why management contracts are diminishing in UK practice. Thirdly, the structure of the industry supports these forms of transformation and the present economic climate will exacerbate the trend. The study can serve as a learning opportunity on the importance of management systems over point of responsibilities as well as promoting innovative systems of contracting.

Copyright 2017, Society of Petroleum Engineers. Most existing studies and literature show that both value engineering and life cycle costing concepts are not used in the upstream sectors of oil and gas, in particular in offshore brownfield projects. This paper will highlight the importance of applying these concepts at the conceptual stage of offshore topside facility projects in order to achieve quality at the lowest possible cost over the product design life, as well as considering the aspect of sustainability. The value engineering methodology and life cycle costing analysis stages are presented. The paper presents four alternatives for structural materials to demonstrate the optimal solution from value engineering and life cycle costing concepts. The case application focused on steel grating as the traditional material used in offshore platforms, versus glass reinforced plastic (GRP) and aluminium gratings as new alternative materials. This method will provide the end users with an effective tool to select among competing alternatives. This paper attempts to fill the gap in the existing knowledge in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, focusing on topside facility projects for offshore platforms by contributing to the following areas: applying value engineering and life cycle costing concepts to offshore topside projects at the conceptual and/or design stage.

Housing adaptation is recognized as an effective intervention for successful independent living and has been given a greater political priority. However, the current adaptation implementation is fragmented and sometimes confusing. This study is aimed at examining blockages in the adaptation system in the United Kingdom (UK) and identifying practical ways to tackle them. It adopted a mixed-method sequential explanatory research strategy. A questionnaire survey was first conducted in all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. This was followed by individual interviews and a focus group with professionals and older clients. The study found that multiple organizations are involved during the delivery of housing adaptations; poor cooperation between them is a major barrier to a seamless service. The adaptation process involves five key stages; there are many inconsistencies and inequities in the process across local authorities. Significant delays are found at all stages, the average length of time taken to complete an adaptation is unacceptably long. There are also many inconsistencies and inequities across different local authorities. This study identified some common deficiencies, which cause inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in housing adaptation practices and makes some recommendations on specific actions that need to be taken at both national and local levels to address them.

The aim of the paper is to help understand the concepts of social and economic integration of supply chain participants in parallel with the nature of fragmentation within the UK construction industry. The paper presents a brief literature review on construction procurement and how it is used to integrate the supply chain within construction industry, through two case studies, using case study research methodology. The current status of the UK construction industry is also presented to support the argument through latest published statistics. The paper analyses the argument and concludes that the UK construction practice/industry needs both integration and fragmentation within its project supply chains in order to deliver the clients requirement as a finished facility. Both presented case studies are public sector construction client and maintenance projects. The biggest implication of the above is that public sector clients operate under defined guidance through different policies, which influences the way they procure work and integrate their project supply chain. The authors, in the future, would test their arguments in the future research with the private sector clients. The current structure of a supply chain on a particular project within an emerging procurement method is integrated upstream and fragmented downstream. That means, the supply chains are not fully integrated in practice and consist of both integration and fragmentation element. Authors also argue that there is nothing wrong in having fragmentation within the industry; in fact it is healthy. The paper's main contribution is to start the debate and give justification through evidence that the UK construction practice/industry is both socially integrated as well as fragmented.

Construction skill is one of the vital aspects of construction work which is growing in importance due to skill gaps and skill shortages during different economic cycles. The aim of this study was to investigate competence development strategies by a traditional construction company within its own pool of skill resources and among its supply chain members. The study was carried out via literature review, empirical studies involving a focus study, analysis of documentary evidence supported by unstructured interviews and a report of skill development/supply chain conference. The study demonstrates how long-term skill development can be achieved through: (a) strategic capacity planning which allows high retention, continuous training, and balanced construction demand and contractor’s supply capacity over the long term; (b) updating and upgrading the knowledge base of the supply chain through conferences and training schemes; (c) strategic investment in the workforce through training, vocational and higher degrees; and (d) acquaintance with different sources of finance. This study will assist small traditional firms in building competencies in skill development and improvement. It will assist an international audience who may face similar issue with their construction firms.

The study focuses on value adding potentials of the Specialist Task Organizations (STOs) approach of procurement. The aim of the paper is to analyze the value adding effects of the Specialist Task Organization (STOs) procurement approach in a building project. The paper is carried out via literature and theoretical analyses. The prevalent procurement routes are used as a basis for analyzing the STO's value adding potentials. The result shows that the Specialist Task Organizations (STOs) procurement approach has additional value adding mechanism in a project. This is due to the STO approach short feedback loop, experts' knowledge input, 2-way designs, embedded value engineering and management due to design and construction responsibilities, and better consideration for the project life-cycle leading to constructability and maintainability. The overall resultant effects are the shortening of the contracting processes, the reduction in claims, and project meeting the objectives of time, schedule and cost. © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group.

The aim of this study is to develop a sustainable business model for a third sector organisation (TSO) in order to be self-reliant and achieve business excellence. This study was carried out through extensive literature review, a comprehensive case study which is supplemented by analysing the case TSO's internal documents, discussions and interviews with its core staff. The study proposes a mixed business model which is driven by both social and economic values. Three strands of 'convergence business ideas' were suggested and 12 factors toolbox was developed. This study supports the need for reform in TSO's funding portfolios, government support in TSO's capacity building in order for the TSOs to be able to actualise the transformation and need for diversification and internationalisation of their existing services.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Understanding project needs and stakes The project environment in Finland The project stakeholders in Finland Stakeholder management in Finland Conclusions References Introduction Understanding project needs and stakes The project environment in Finland The project stakeholders in Finland Stakeholder management in Finland Conclusions References

The overall aim of the study is to examine the problems associated with the prevalent procurement routes, subsequent changes in supply chain management and introduction of alternative procurement routes which are innovative and agile in their nature. The trend in the UK seems to favour an integrated supply chain from the outset of a project, resulting into a transition from rigidity to agility within the development process. Client's role within the whole process is quite crucial and this paper shows the practical contribution of public sector clients in initiating as well as implementing innovative procurement routes that integrates the supply chain. The study is conducted via extensive literature review covering policy documents and a case study. The paper presents the techniques used by the public clients such as aggregation of demand to get aggregated supply result in agility and integration among supply chain participants and subcontractors along side the main contractors. The paper concludes that innovative procurement and supply chain integration have contributed towards agility of the involved participants within the construction industry in the detailed mentioned case study. The study can be beneficial to all the stakeholders especially the client in managing supply chain.

© 2017, © Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Project delay is becoming a problem in the Sultanate of Oman as evidenced by many delayed projects across the country. The purpose of this study is to examine causes and effects of delays in megaprojects in the Sultanate of Oman with recommendations to mitigate same. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of literature identifies through main stakeholders the numerous causes, impacts and methods of mitigating delay from previous studies. A questionnaire survey on Oman was carried out to sample opinions from the practitioners; 53 questionnaires were received and analysed using the relative importance index (RII) method. Findings: The five most frequent causes of delay in the Sultanate of Oman, in rank order, are: selection of the lowest bid, instead of best bid for the client (RII: 0.698); the financial condition of the main contractor (RII: 0.664); delay in decision-making by the client (RII: 0.656); and poor construction planning by the main contractor (RII: 0.649). Also, the findings indicate that extra cost (RII: 0.754) and project time overrun (RII: 0.724) are the most significant effects of the delay in the Oman megaprojects. The use of experienced contractors and consultant (RII 0.675), efficient construction planning by the main contractor and effective site management and supervision (RII: 0.667) are essential mitigation methods of construction delay in Oman megaprojects. Originality/value: The study recommends three-part novel solutions to mitigate delay in the Oman construction industry.

Public private partnership (PPP) procurement route was introduced with the aim of increasing the capacity and quality of public services across the globe, whilst the PPP sector is now established and mature in many countries, realising the objectives of PPP has eluded many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria where the level of private sector participation in infrastructure provision remains low particularly in the Higher Education Infrastructure (HEI) sector. This study aims at exploring reasons for low participation, by evaluating the challenges associated with PPP procurement system in Nigeria HEI sector. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders, the gathered data was analysed using thematic framework analysis and the result indicate that the private sector is reluctant to engage in partnerships with the public sector owing to stakeholders' challenges, integrity issues, as well as governance challenges. The study concludes that increased transparency and accountability in the tendering procedures will enhance the potentials of PPP in the HEI sector, and recommends that governance systems and procedures that minimise corruption and mistrust should be put in place.

© 2016 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. A construction project is a complex process that involves many stakeholders, long project durations and complex contractual relationships. The aim of this paper is to examine the principle of two-contract in construction projects in order to understand the significance of small contracts in achieving business excellence. The study is carried out via a literature review and utilises case law examples from different countries to illustrate what constitute small contracts in construction projects. The case law examples show that there is an implied contractual relationship between the client and tenderers in tendering stage which satisfied the contractual principles of offer and acceptance, consideration and falls within common law jurisdictions. The implied contract enables review process and gives rise to contractual obligations apart from the obligations associated with the construction contract. The paper will enable project stakeholders to be more transparent in construction business. Most importantly, enable supply chain members to know their legal and contractual rights in tendering stage.

Purpose: Delay in housing adaptation is a major problem, especially in assessing if homes are suitable for the occupants and in determining if the occupants are qualified for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). This paper describes the development of two self-administered intelligent integrated assessment tools from the DFG Adapt-ABLE system: (1) The Home Suitability Assessment Platform, which is a preventive mechanism that allows assessment of the suitability of homes based on occupants’ mobility status and (2) an indicative assessment platform that determines if the applicants are qualified for the DFG to prevent lengthy delays. Design/methodology/approach: The adopted method aligned with a development study approach: a grounded literature review, a severity measurement approach, two stakeholder engagement workshops, four brainstorming sessions and four focus group exercises. The system development relied on Entity–Relationship Diagram (ERD) technique for data structures and database systems design. It uses DFG context sensitivity with alignment with DFG guidance, interlinkages and interoperability between the assessment tools and other platforms of the integrated Adapt-ABLE system. Findings: The assessment tools are client-level outcomes related to accessibility, usability and activity based on the assessment process. The home suitability platform shows the percentage of the suitability of a home with assessment results that suggest appropriate action plans based on individual mobility status. The indicative assessment combines the function of referral, allocation, assessment and test of resources into an integrated platform. This enables timely assessment, decision-making and case-escalation by Occupational Therapists based on needs criteria and the eligibility threshold. Originality/value: These assessment tools are useful for understanding occupants’ perception of their physical housing environment in terms of accessibility, suitability and usability based on basic activities of daily living and their mobility status. The indicative self-assessment tool will substantially cut down the application journey. The developed tools have been recommended for use in the CSJ Disability Commission report and the UK government Guidance on DFGs for local authorities in England.

Construction procurement is increasingly becoming important because of the inherent risks in construction project. This chapter reviews risks and uncertainty in construction contracts and presents a framework for risk planning, assessment and management based on CMAA conditions of contracts. The analysis focuses on risks inherent in project management, cost management, time management, quality management, safety management and contract administration. The analysis of each of the management area of risk management covers three key areas; (i) management planning, assessment, (ii) risk assessment that is divided into two, risk identification and analysis (qualitative and quantitative analyses) and (iii) risk management in terms of response planning, monitoring and control. Agile specialist approach is used to demonstrate the application of the framework. The analysis shows that the construction management contracts services and practices and the contract documents explicitly identify, quantify, and develop responses and control project risks. In a broader sense, safety management can be said to be risk response development by setting the enhancement steps for opportunities and responses to threats.

Master Information Delivery Plan (MIDP) is a key requirement for BIM Execution Plan (BEP) that enlists all information deliverables in BIM-based project, containing information about what would be prepared, when, by who, as well as the procedures and protocols to be used. In a well-conceived BEP, the MIDP facilitates collaboration among stakeholders. However, current approaches to generating MIDP are manual, making it tedious, error-prone, and inconsistent, thereby limiting some expected benefits of BIM implementation. The purpose of the present research is to automate the MIDP and demonstrate a collaborative BIM system that overcomes the problems associated with the traditional approach. A BIM cloud-based system (named Auto-BIMApp) involving naming that automated MIDP generation is presented. A participatory action research methodology involving academia and industry stakeholders is followed to design and validate the Auto-BIMApp. A mixed-method experiment is conducted to compare the proposed automated generation of MIDP using Auto-BIMApp with the traditional practice of using spreadsheets. The quantitative results show over 500% increased work efficiency, with improved and error-free collaboration among team members through Auto-BIMApp. Moreover, the responses from the participants using Auto-BIMApp during the experiment shows positive feedback in term of ease of use and automated functionalities of the Auto-BIMApp. The replacement of traditional practices to a complete automated collaborative system for the generation of MIDP, with substantial productivity improvement, brings novelty to the present research. The Auto-BIMApp involve multidimensional information, multiple platforms, multiple types, and levels of users, and generates three different representations of MIDP.

This study explores the behavioural safety measures for addressing accidents on Qatar mega projects which are infamous for their high rates of accidents and fatality. Using extant literature and brainstorming as sources of preliminary information, questionnaire was used for collecting quantitative data, which was analysed using reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis. The finding suggests that there is a low level of behavioural safety awareness among the construction workers due to their lack of adequate safety knowledge, with the rate of accident exacerbated by use of improper safety gears or improper use of such gears. Putting production ahead of safety, due to urgency and timeliness of the projects, engenders poor disposition to safety among site workers. To turn the tides on the high rates of accidents and fatality, more proactive approaches to safety management is essential for engendering behavioural safety among the operatives. Such measures include enhanced communication and feedback on safety practices, increased use of safety signs to raise awareness, education and regular observation and appraisal of the employees. A key requisite for achieving a positive behavioural safety outcome is an increased commitment of the management team and the site supervisors who are expected to implement a robust safety policy as well as the carrot and stick approach for engendering positive safety behaviour. With behavioural safety management recognised as an effective approach for mitigating health and safety concerns on construction sites, this study suggests measures for mitigating unsafe behaviours, thereby reducing accidents and fatalities on the Qatari Mega projects.

Purpose: The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has tested the resilience of the construction industry, putting the safety of workers and overall businesses at risk. This study explores the different strategies adopted by construction companies to protect the health and wellbeing of employees, security of the construction sites and projects, and keep the overall business operational amid Covid-19 pandemic. Design/Methodology: A preliminary study that involves field study and survey research was used to collect data for the study. The results from the preliminary analysis served as inputs for constructing the questionnaire, which was analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. Findings: The results reveal that the key underlying measures put in place by construction businesses include restricted site access, support bubbling of office and site staff, enhanced hygiene and social distancing protocol, contract risk identification and mitigation, self-isolation measures and heightened construction site safety. Along with a further discussion of the underlying measures, the top-rated strategies that were adopted by construction firms are also discussed in the paper. Originality/Value: As many construction companies remained opened handling essential projects amid the pandemic, the study presents the effective and efficient strategies that were used in ploughing through the trying times. This study provides the opportunity for construction companies that escaped early impacts of Covid-19 due to site closure and policy makers to learn from the strategies adopted by construction companies that were operational amid the pandemic.

This editorial introduces a special issue of the International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation (IJBPA). The special issue focuses on housing adaptations for healthy ageing by looking at the conceptual, theoretical, and practical approaches. Housing adaptation is an intervention to modify permanent physical home features to reduce environmental barriers and restore independent living. Adaptations promote independence, make it easier and safer for disabled and older people to live in their homes, and bridge inequalities, leading to a fairer society. It also restores confidence, dignity, self-respect, and their rights to accessible and adaptable housing. As the aged population is currently at its highest level in human history, healthy ageing and independent living are crucial for the elderly and people with disabilities. Ageing in place, a global concern, presents diverse challenges across different countries, each met with unique solutions.

To address the multifaceted challenges facing the construction industry, Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been envisioned as a transformative approach. In line with this development, the paper presents a development and implementation of a BIM-based plugin, AutoBIM Carbon Calculator, which is integrated with the Revit software, with a functionality that supports the estimation and management of embodied carbon in construction projects. The paper outlines the AutoBIM design and development methodology, which is based on participatory quasi-experimental setup approach, involving automated approach for data extraction from BIM models, and carbon calculation algorithm that is integrated with carbon convention factor library. Based on a case study, evidence shows the ability of the AutoBIM calculator in precisely reducing time spent on carbon calculation while also automatically identifying carbon hotspot to facilitate design optioneering for carbon effectiveness. In addition, a case study project demonstrates 14% carbon reduction by supporting alternative design decision making. AutoBIM calculator, as a BIM-based plugin serves as a promising example of how custom-built solutions could address challenges facing the industry by highlighting the potential of BIM-based plugins to enhance productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Purpose The lack of a proper register to store, match and display information on the adapted property has led to a waste of resources and prolonged delays in matching the disabled and elderly people with appropriate properties. This paper presents the development of a Housing Adaptations Register with user-matching functionalities for different mobility categories. The developed system accurately captures and documents adapted home information to facilitate the automated matching of disabled/aged applicants needing an adapted home with suitable property using banding, mobility and suitability index. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical review was conducted to identify parameters and develop adaptations register construct. A survey questionnaire approach to rate the 111 parameters in the register as either moderate, desirable or essential before system development and application. The system development relied on DSS modelling to support data-driven decision-making based on the decision table method to represent property information for implementing the decision process. The system is validated through a workshop, four brainstorming sessions and three focus group exercises. Findings Development of a choice-based system that enables the housing officers or the Housing Adaptations Register coordinators to know the level of adaptation to properties and match properties quickly with the applicants based on their mobility status. The merits of the automated system include the development of a register to capture in real-time adapted home information to facilitate the automated matching of disabled/aged applicants. A “choice-based” system that can map and suggest a property that can easily be adapted and upgraded from one mobility band to the other. Practical implications The development of a housing adaptation register helps social housing landlords to have a real-time register to match, map and upgrade properties for the most vulnerable people in our society. It saves time and money for the housing associations and the local authorities through stable tenancy for adapted homes. Potentially, it will promote the independence of aged and disabled people and can reduce their dependence on social and healthcare services. Originality/value This system provides the local authorities with objective and practical tools that may be used to assess, score, prioritise and select qualified people for appropriate accommodation based on their needs and mobility status. It will provide a record of properties adapted with their features and ensure that matching and eligibility decisions are consistent and uniform.

In the recent decade, the citation recommendation has emerged as an important research topic due to its need for the huge size of published scientific work. Among other citation recommendation techniques, the widely used content-based filtering (CBF) exploits research articles’ textual content to produce recommendations. However, CBF techniques are prone to the well-known cold-start problem. On the other hand, deep learning has shown its effectiveness in understanding the semantics of the text. The present paper proposes a citation recommendation system using deep learning models to classify rhetorical zones of the research articles and compute similarity using rhetorical zone embeddings that overcome the cold-start problem. Rhetorical zones are the predefined linguistic categories having some common characteristics about the text. A deep learning model is trained using ART and CORE datasets with an accuracy of 76 per cent. The final ranked lists of the recommendations have an average of 0.704 normalized discounted cumulative gain (nDCG) score involving ten domain experts. The proposed system is applicable for both local and global context-aware recommendations.

Purpose The problem of long delay and waiting time in Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) housing adaptation has been ongoing for years. This study aimed at constructing an innovative smart solution to streamline the housing adaptation process to prevent lengthy delays for disabled and elderly people. Design/methodology/approach The Adapt-ABLE approach is suggested based on a constructive research approach, where extensive theoretical development of the Adapt-ABLE concept is developed. It consists of four integrated platforms that undergo theoretical and analogical development and validations through applicable theories, a workshop, four brainstorming sessions and a focus group. Findings The proposed Adapt-ABLE approach utilises process optimisation techniques through an IT system for streamlining the process. The merits of the semi-automated system include the development of a preventive measure that allows measurement of suitability index of homes for the occupants, indicative assessment that shorten the application duration, procurement and contracting platform that utilises principles based on framework agreement and call-off contract, and a platform that standardised performance management for continuous improvement. Originality/value The Adapt-ABLE solution will cut the application journey of non-qualified applicants and suggest where help can be sought. The qualified applicants' application journey will also be shortened through an online indicative assessment regime and early online resources (means) testing. Overall, the proposed system reduces the waiting time, and timely delivery improves the applicant's quality of life by living independently. It will potentially save the NHS billions of pounds used to replace hips and residential care costs due to lengthy delays in the housing adaptations process.

Purpose Construction project delivery is hinged on the performance of the contractor and subcontractors. In many private construction projects in the UK, there are trust issues between the subcontractor and contractor, especially when there are no collateral warranties to protect the rights of the subcontractors. The purpose of this study is to investigate and identify the causations of distrust between subcontractors and contractors and proffered panaceas. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative open-ended questions were used. Twenty respondents, mainly supervisors, tradesmen, subcontractors and main contractors in the UK, were interviewed. The thematic analysis approach was used to identify the dominant themes. Findings The interview findings were presented descriptively, and the frequency approach identified more occurring themes from the interviewees’ responses. The six themes contributing to distrust between subcontractor and contractor are financial pressures, partnering approach, payment and trust, nature of trust, internal influence and unfair payment. Practical implications The findings of this study revealed that many subcontractors have limited knowledge of the clauses in contracts they are entering into. Thus, in addition to obtaining collateral warranties, subcontractors must carefully understand their contractual obligations and payment arrangements before agreeing to be part of a construction project. Originality/value Although this study aimed to shed light on the distrust between subcontractors and contractors in private UK construction projects, improvements in contract administration, subcontractors continued professional development and improved valuation processes can reduce distrust between subcontractors and contractors.

The recent surge in light emitting diode (LED) lighting retrofitted into schools in the UK is as a result of the UK Government’s 2050 zero carbon pledge. However, the benefits and consequences of LED retrofit projects for staff and enablers and stakeholder knowledge gaps about LED lighting retrofitting have not been fully explored. The aim of this research is to determine the amount of savings in cost, carbon reduction and kilowatt usage and to confirm if repayment from energy and cost savings derived from LED retrofit school projects funded through the SALIX funding option in the UK would be enough to service the loan. Thus, it examines monetary and non-monetary benefits, internal project stakeholder knowledge gaps and the consequences of LED retrofit for the staff and enablers of a large community college in the UK which is funded through the SALIX funding option. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology relied on a hybrid research approach of a case secondary school through the review of literature, analysis of secondary data, focus group and questionnaire survey. The focus group consists of six key project stakeholders. The secondary data was sourced from the Project IGP [Individual Grade Proposal] and the Positive Energy Report from Zenergi, and the closed online questionnaire survey was used to sample 150 teaching staff and school enablers. Findings: The findings show that stakeholders lack project knowledge, trust and expertise/project comprehension. This is in terms of baseline information, LED technology/management, payback modalities, management of risks and ethical issues around environmental impact. The forecasted SALIX savings were not achieved in real-time, partly because it does not take into consideration the increase in energy costs over the payback period. However, the LED retrofit creates efficiencies; drives down energy costs and energy usage; and drives carbon reduction, helping pupils’ learning, improving productivity and performance, and finally leading to a better lighting environment for the school community. Originality/value: The study will help schools in the UK that intend to access SALIX finance for LED retrofits to understand the challenges and mitigate the risks. It will also help the government to understand the importance of adjusting the payback modalities to the base price when the retrofit was carried out for real-time savings to be made. The research would be useful in ensuring the proactive involvement of all the identified stakeholders in understanding the challenges and what the function entails.

Purpose This paper aims to identify and analyse the factors affecting the selection of effective cost control techniques in the UK construction industry and assess their importance. The study examines these key areas; the factors that have significant impacts on cost overruns, the most effective cost control techniques and the factors for selecting cost control techniques for a project. Design/methodology/approach The study relies on a mixed-method research approach; a qualitative exploration of the most effective cost control techniques and the factors affecting the selection of cost control techniques, followed by a questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews. Relative importance index (RII) is used for ranking the factors. Findings The budgeting technique is ranked first with-0.821RII, followed by cost forecasting-0.800RII and cashflow monitoring-00.733RII, as the most effective cost control techniques. On factors that influenced the choice of the techniques used, cost information/cost-related factors are ranked first with-0.611RII, followed by the size of the company-0.509RII and the effectiveness of the technique-0.572RII. Research limitations/implications Although the scope of the study was limited to the UK construction industry, the results could be interpreted for critical learning in other developed/developing countries. Originality/value Identifying and ranking the factors affecting the selection of effective cost control techniques in the UK construction industry has been the focal point of this study. The study also proposes a simple but effective model which can be used for critical learning on mitigating cost overruns and the effective use of cost control techniques in the construction industry.

This study explores the measures that construction businesses are putting in place to mitigate the risks of litigation associated with potential contract breaches due to COVID-19. Field study and survey research was used to accumulate data for the preliminary study phase, whose results were used in the construction of the research questionnaire to elicit responses for the qualitative study phase. Using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis, data from the quantitative research study phase was analysed to reveal the top and underlying strategies adopted by the construction firms in avoiding contractual disputes. These adopted strategies include maintaining good relationship with contractual partners, quick report of any potential for dispute, collaboration with contractual parties for goodwill, early decision on site closure and studying of contractual terms for notice period information. Following the discussion on the underlying measures, the top-rated adopted strategies were identified and discussed in the paper. This study provides an opportunity to learn from the measures adopted by construction firms in avoiding contractual disputes precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This will aid the companies in minimizing risks, reduce spending and uncertainties in order to focus attention on maintaining existing contractual relationships to secure future businesses.

The study investigates the factors contributing to the menace of Alcohol and Substance Misuse (ASM) in the construction industry, and its mitigation. Sequential exploratory mixed method design, involving interview and questionnaire were used for collecting data that were subsequently analysed using thematic analysis, factor analysis and Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings suggest that the problem of ASM is largely caused and exacerbated by mental strain, site working conditions, male dominance and ineffective HR management. Screening and educational approaches were confirmed as the carrot and stick methods for mitigating the menace in the construction industry. The finding implies that by making construction companies more accountable for the wellbeing of their workers, a change could be brought in the industry. These changes could be incentivised by initiatives like PREVENT to mitigate the crisis currently endemic in construction. The study suggests some practical measures for tackling the menace of ASM that is bedevilling the construction

Purpose Supply chain disruptions have a significant impact on overall project delivery. This study aims to identify the supply chain disruptive factors and develop a framework to mitigate the disruptive effects on the supply chain. Covid-19 and Brexit disruption and their longevity effects in the short, medium and long term on the supply chain are relied upon to develop the framework. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a mixed-method approach with a sequential explanatory design. The main disruptive factors were identified through a literature review, and key factors were selected through a focus group exercise. A questionnaire survey was carried out to sample opinions from the practitioners; 41 questionnaires were received and analysed using the relative importance index (RII) method for ranking the factors and percentage frequency distribution to determine the longevity effects. Five follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted over the telephone and later transcribed. Findings The results of Covid-19 disruption indicate that material cost increase ranked first (RII: 0.863), logistics cost increase and supply chain interaction ranked second and third, respectively. They have long-term, medium-term and short-term longevity effects, respectively. The lowest-rated factors were communication (RII: 0.561), staff shortages (RII: 0.629) and impact on relationships (RII: 0.639). The three most ranked Brexit disruptive factors are supply chain interaction (RII: 0.775), material cost increase (RII: 0.766) and logistic and haulage delay (RII: 0.717). The first two factors have long-term effects, and the logistics and haulage delays have a medium-term impact. The mitigating solutions suggested in the framework are collaborative working, stronger resilience to external forces and better transparency and communication that will lead to good relationships among the supply chain members. Research limitations/implications The scope of the study was limited to the UK construction industry; however, the pandemic effect on supply chain can serve as critical learning curve in other developed and developing countries. Practical implications The study will help the government and construction firms to understand the focal areas of importance in solving the supply chain disruption problems based on the effects of Brexit and Covid-19. The research would be useful in ensuring the proactive involvement of the government and contracting firms in their preparedness for similar events in the future. The results could be interpreted for critical learning in other developed/developing countries. Originality/value Identifying and ranking the supply chain disruptive factors affecting the small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK construction industry has been the focal point of this study. The study also proposes a simple but effective framework comprising the highly ranked factors, their longevity effects and mitigating measures. This will help the SMEs manage future/similar external events affecting the supply chain.

Health and safety is an important issue in workplaces, and despite safety procedures becoming more strict, serious accidents are still happening within the UK construction sector. This demonstrates poor performance in the implementation of safety procedures on construction sites. One of the key challenges is the unwillingness of the site workforce, especially the subcontracted operatives, to adhere to safety provisions on construction sites. As such, this study investigates the strategies for enhancing safe behaviour among subcontracted operatives in the UK construction industry. The study used exploratory sequential mixed method research, involving interviews and questionnaires as means of data collection, and thematic analysis, reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis as methods of data analysis. The study suggests that various carrot and stick measures are expected to be put in place as part of the strategies for enhancing safe behaviour among subcontracted operatives. These include adequate enforcement of safety practices by the management, operative engagement and motivation, commendation and rewards, site safety targets, leadership style and motivation. Application of the suggested measures could enhance safety on construction sites, as it provides practical measures and solutions for inculcating safety behaviours among the site operatives who are most likely to be the victims of site accidents.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the healthcare sector, providing innovative solutions to empower individuals and make medical support more personalized. This study introduces a novel AI-driven platform that links diseases and symptoms to relevant assistive technologies and housing adaptations, ultimately developing a tailored knowledge base for individuals diagnosed with complex chronic conditions such as muscular dystrophy. The platform development entails the integration of advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques and fuzzy matching algorithms into a user-friendly web-based interface. This enables successful interpretation of user input queries and generation of real-time tailored actionable insights and personalized recommendations for housing adaptation and assistive technologies. This research showcases a scalable, innovative method of patient care that revolutionizes the existing landscape by integrating new AI methodologies into healthcare databases to generate impactful and empathetic elderly and disabled care. The proposed system obtained a query resolution accuracy of 98% and aims to bridge critical gaps in healthcare and housing accessibility by offering solutions and a sense of empowerment to those navigating the challenges of chronic and progressive conditions.

The catastrophic effect of fire incidents such as loss of lives, damage to building structures and economic loss, underscore the need for efficient fire safety in buildings, which has been a major subject of discussion in the UK. In this study, a comprehensive review of literature pertinent to building fire safety in the UK is presented. The study adopts systematic review approach, collected data from Scopus and analysed 51 qualified articles quantitively and qualitatively. The review shows a rise in publication since 2004, revealing prominent authors and keywords in building fire safety research. The review further identified the categories of fire safety practices in the UK, including technological innovations, mitigation, behavioural, and regulatory measures. Notable findings reveal the challenges in current practices including compliance and enforcement issues, maintenance of fire safety systems, public awareness and behavioural issues, technological adoption and integration challenges, and infrastructure and building design challenges. To address the challenges identified, proposed recommendations include fire safety training, simplifying and unifying regulations, maintenance and inspection of fire safety systems, fostering and upholding public trust, enhancing public awareness, integration of advanced technologies, and formulation of fire safety strategies. Additionally. the study further recommends more comparative research on international fire safety practices and social factors influence on fire regulations to effectively enhance fire safety practices in the UK.

This study provides a framework for comparing construction management contracts in the UK and the US construction practices. It starts by reviewing previous studies on UK and US contracting practices and explores the main delivery methods, inform of comparison with construction management contracting systems. It examines construction management contracting types, processes and procedures and interaction between the construction manager and other stakeholders. This study was based on a literature review and the result shows the similarities and differences between the American and British CM systems within each practice and between both practices; the distribution of responsibilities and risks both in pre‐construction and during the construction stages; and allocation of responsibility in both practices.

Digitalisation in the construction sector promises numerous benefits, yet its widespread adoption in India faces impediments. This study aims to identify and analyse critical barriers hindering the adoption of digitalisation within the Indian construction sector. The study adopts a multi-phase research approach, involving a literature review to identify potential barriers. Subsequently, a questionnaire was administered to 162 professionals in the Indian construction industry. The survey reveals a willingness within the Indian construction sector to embrace digitalisation, citing benefits such as enhanced productivity and revolutionary impacts on construction processes. Larger organizations exhibit greater proactivity, while smaller businesses face challenges in resources and knowledge, leading to slower adoption rates. The study identifies five key themes of barriers, including financial/resource constraints, cultural/organisational constraints, regional disparities, data security/privacy concerns, and awareness/capacity-building constraints. The implication of the study is to unveil crucial barriers and provide insights for tailored interventions, aiding stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers in navigating the evolving digital landscape of the Indian construction industry. This study contributes to the exploration of perceptions of construction professionals specifically in India on why digitalisation is not fully embraced in the Indian construction sector.

Twenty-first-century literature on projects has stressed concern for understanding project management as the management of uncertainty. This perspective is informed by two fields within normative project management, those of risk management and the management of complexity. Such perspectives and these responses for practice conform to the ‘control paradigm’. Related to this control, and firmly established in normative project management, is the so-called iron triangle which links the project management challenge to first set and then stick to budgets of time, cost and ‘quality’. Problems with this interpretation of the iron triangle of constraints have seen adaptations being proposed, such as performance, client and stakeholder satisfaction, value, learning and more recently under the structuring of ‘programme management’, time, cost and benefits. This paper proposes to address the relevance of the current theory of project constraints specifically relating to the iron triangle through the lens of an inductive cross-case analysis of nine past megaprojects. These variables add a whole new dimension of uncertainty and accompanying complexity to the project challenge including the project success rates of projects. The underlying theory of the iron law for megaprojects would therefore appear to be obsolete. An introduction of a more ‘contemporary iron triangle’ as a performance measurement tool is made. With megaprojects continued to be regarded, a multi-trillion-dollar global delivery model, the magnitude of influence mega-projects exert on society necessitates the theory of project management to encompass changing perceptions of success over longer time frames. Whilst for more obvious mega-projects, this might be a more useful interpretation for all projects, arguably project management’s thornier test.

Purpose Notwithstanding the Geographical Information System (GIS) being a fast-emerging green area of a digital revolution, the available studies focus on different subject areas of application in the construction industry, with no study that clarifies its knowledge strands. Hence, this systematic review analyses GIS core area of application, its system integration patterns, challenges, and future directions in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review approach was employed, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A total of 60 articles published between 2011 and 2022 were identified, thoroughly reviewed, and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The analysis revealed spatial planning and design, construction-task tracking, defect detection, and safety monitoring as its four main application-based areas. The findings showed that the adoption of GIS technology is rapidly expanding and being utilised more in building projects to visual-track construction activities. The review discovered an integrated pattern involving data flow from a device and window-form application to GIS, the pathways to data exchange between platforms-to-platforms, where ArcGIS is the most used software. Furthermore, the study highlighted the lack of interoperability between heterogeneous systems as the crux impediment to adopting GIS in the built environment. Originality/value The research provides a deep insight into possible areas where GIS is adopted in the construction industry, identifying areas of extensive and limited application coverage over one decade. Besides, it demystifies possible pathways for future integration opportunities of GIS with other emerging technologies within the construction industry.

Purpose Housing adaptation enables the elderly and disabled people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives by making it easier to carry out everyday tasks in a safer environment. Assistive technology enables them to perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve independence. Therefore, the new guidance for local authorities in England on Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) recommends assistive and smart technology as part of a DFG award package to maximise the benefits of home adaptations. Through a baseline study, this paper examines the disabled and elderly peoples’ level of digital engagement, the challenges and the impact of smart devices on their daily living and well-being. Design/methodology/approach A baseline study approach was used through the co-production of knowledge. The study relies on a questionnaire survey and the Most Significant Change (MSC) research technique through structured interviews. A percentage of the total approach is used in analysing the quantitative data by comparing the pre- and post-baseline results. Findings The major challenges the clients face are Wi-Fi connectivity, system compatibility issues, and skills in navigating different applications and operating systems. The pilot study demonstrates that assistive technology supports independent and healthy living and promotes a secure and safe environment. It also promotes social inclusion and improves the elderly and disabled people’s comfort and engagement. However, the results show that the overall impact is minimal; therefore, a longitudinal study is needed to understand the impacts over a long period. Practical implications The findings will help policymakers to understand the impacts of assistive technology on improving the elderly and disabled people’s quality of life. Originality/value A comparable baseline study was carried out to serve as a reference point for other similar future studies. The paper also highlights the challenges faced by the elderly and disabled people, their digital skill level and the impact of smart devices on their daily living and well-being.

Purpose: Amidst all solutions posited to address sustainable construction practices in Nigeria, the implementation plans are repudiated by sustainable barriers. This study examines and confirms the strategy with the most significant impacts on the identified barrier to Sustainable Construction Practice (SCP). Design/Methodology/Approach: The study deployed a questionnaire survey to evaluate the perspective of 100 construction actors on the barriers and strategies of sustainable construction practice in Nigeria. Factor Analysis was employed to categorize key barriers and strategies into their underlying clusters for further analysis. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to confirm the constructs significant relationship and magnitude, thereby establishing the strategies with the highest impacts on the barriers to sustainable construction practices. Findings: The findings revealed three clusters of barriers and four groups of strategies to SCP, including techno-politic barrier, perception and awareness barrier, and sociocultural barrier. For the significant strategies, education and training, stakeholder regulation, incentive support and government and legislative support strategies were established. Overall, education and training strategy was identified as the most dominant and effective strategy to mitigate the barriers of SCP in Nigeria. Originality/Value: The paper establishes education and training as the key strategy to achieving sustainable quest in the AEC industry. The practical implication is that policy makers, educators and professional bodies can harness sustainable knowledge transfer through education and training to improve sustainable construction practices in Nigeria.

Purpose: This study investigates the various competencies a graduate should hold to prepare them for graduate building surveying roles from employers’ perspective. Design/Methodology: The study employs a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach by informing a quantitative study with the finding from a qualitative study. Findings: Based on exploratory factor analysis, the study found that 13 essential competencies are valued by the employers when recruiting building surveying graduates, as they are requisites for effective job performance. Personal management skills, technical surveying knowledge, and knowledge of RICS standards are the essential competencies based on the level of variance extracted by the three components. Other competency categories include client management skills, being goal-driven and self-motivated, optimistic personality traits, strong mental resilience, building maintenance and management knowledge, and time management skills, among others that are explained in the paper. Originality/Value: The essential competencies were dependent on maintaining a balance between knowledge, skills and personality-based competencies. Measures and approaches for gaining the essential competencies, as well as their level of significance, are further discussed. The study will be of significant benefits to employers of graduate building surveyors, academic institutions that are seeking to improve their graduate employability, as well as students that are preparing for the world of work.

Existing research on public attitudes towards fire safety and evacuation has predominantly employed traditional methodologies. While these methods have provided valuable insights, they are limited in their ability to capture the full spectrum of public. Moreover, a significant gap exists in the literature regarding the broader population's concerns of how the general public perceives and responds to building safety regulations, particularly in the context of new legislation like the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022. To address these gaps, this study adopts a novel approach by analysing social media data, specifically YouTube, to capture a wider range of public sentiments towards the BSA 2022. A total of 3577 data points reflecting the general public's views were gathered, processed, and examined using sentiment analysis, k-means clustering and Latent Dirichlet Allocation text mining techniques for topic modelling. Findings reveal nine clusters each for the positive and negative sentiments. The overall findings reveal that the public expressed positive sentiments (20%), negative sentiments (4%), and neutral sentiments (76%) towards (Building Safety Act, 2022). The study posits recommendations from the public’s sentiments for policy makers to leverage on.

The construction industry’s operations heavily contribute almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions and reportedly falling behind in achieving the net zero targets set out by the Paris Agreement. This necessitates a deeper understanding of the main barriers to achieving net zero in the construction industry. As such, this paper aims to gain an understanding of the barriers to procuring and building net zero assets through the lenses of the construction industry and the built environment’s interdisciplinary workforces. The study adopted an exploratory qualitative research approach involving the use of semi structured interviews conducted for 13 professionals working across a range of sectors, different sizes of organisations in the construction industry and built environment with varying levels of experience. The factors and discussions taken from the interview transcriptions were collected and subjected to thematic analysis using the K-Mean clustering learning algorithm and Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling. The analysis produces thirty-two distinct factors clustered/modelled into five themes/topics referred to as barriers to net zero adoption in the UK construction sector. These barriers are financial and economic barriers, technological and expertise challenges, regulatory and policy issues, industry practices and cultural resistance, and supply chain and operational issues. The findings of this research indicated that net-zero construction is usually seen as inherently expensive, with financial budgets often being prioritised ahead of net-zero goals. Thus, financial support and incentives from the government are required to alleviate the high costs associated with net zero technologies, particularly for smaller organizations to drive the adoption of net zero practices.

Existing research on constructional professional attitudes towards fire safety and evacuation has predominantly employed traditional methodologies. While these methods have provided valuable insights, they are limited in their ability to capture the full spectrum of the stakeholders. Moreover, a significant gap exists in the literature regarding the broader population’s concerns about how the industry experts perceives and responds to building safety regulations, particularly in the context of new legislation like the Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022. To address these gaps, this study adopts a novel approach by analysing social media data, specifically YouTube, to capture a wider range of public sentiments towards the BSA 2022. A total of 3577 data points reflecting the general public’s views were gathered, processed, and examined using sentiment analysis, k-means clustering and Latent Dirichlet Allocation text mining techniques for topic modelling. Findings reveal nine clusters each for the positive and negative sentiments. The overall findings reveal that the public expressed positive sentiments (20 %), negative sentiments (4 %), and neutral sentiments (76 %) towards BSA 2022. The study posits recommendations from the public’s sentiments for policy makers to leverage.

Automated Compliance Checking (ACC) is continuously gaining traction in improving the efficiency and precision in regulatory compliances within the AEC sector. Thus, this research presents a comprehensive review of the current state of ACC emphasising its application domains, techniques, challenges and opportunities. The review reveal that ACC is currently being applied in multiple domains including building design analysis, energy efficiency, construction safety and fire safety. ACC systems currently employ techniques such as artificial intelligence (machine learning, neural networks, and natural language processing), graph-based methods, semantic enrichment and representation and general rule representation analysis. The review identifies technological constraints and integration difficulties as main challenges facing ACC implementation. The potential opportunities for ACC include integration with enhanced technologies, expanding application domains, collaborations and standardisations. This study addresses existing knowledge gaps and enhances the understanding of ACC's role and impact, steering future research towards innovative approaches and improved implementation strategies.