Ralph C. G. Haas

A contribution to the 1^st International Conference on public-private partnerships in Dalian, China by Haas, Cowe Falls and Quieroz demonstrated the applicability of long term warranty and sustainability requirements in network PPPs. This paper builds on the earlier contribution by describing an integrated life cycle asset management framework which addresses the interests of the agency and the concessionaire. It recognizes that the concessionaire has interests such as return on investment while the agency is concerned with long term sustainability and good environmental stewardship plus social and economic responsibility. More specifically, the paper first identifies the scope of long term PPPs and the assets normally included. It then identifies the joint benefits that should accrue to both the agency and the concessionaire and the performance measures or indicators that can be directly tied to the benefits. The paper describes how the performance indicators should be tied to or based on policy objectives and in turn linked to operating targets, with examples. A classification of quality of service to users, safety, preservation, and sustainability forms the basis and recommendations for realizing long term sustainability are put forward.

Interface management (IM) is an emerging construction management practice that industry finds necessary for megaprojects that have become more complex and global. Defined as the appropriate management of communications, relationships, and deliverables among stakeholders, effective IM is integral to project success. Yet, because it is an emerging discipline, IM implementation has varied widely across the industry. Furthermore, the effect of IM on project performance is still unclear. To address these gaps, the construction industry institute (CII) chartered a research team, to identify the current state of IM and to investigate the relationship between systematic IM and project performance. To accomplish this, the authors conducted structured interviews for 46 projects. The study results showed that IM practices are most often found in industrial projects, with dollar values of more than one billion. In addition, IM adoption is positively correlated with the project dollar value and number of interface stakeholders. In terms of performance, projects with systematic IM tend to have lower mean and less dispersed cost growth, compared with projects without systematic IM. These results contribute to an understanding of the potential benefits of IM and its appropriate application as it further develops and is used in practice.

Extremely large, complex projects with numerous geographically distributed stakeholders experience substantial risks related to the interfaces among stakeholders. This is particularly true during project definition and design, where despite discrete deliverables across the interfaces, decisions require some iteration. Managing interfaces has become feasible with the advent of internet and electronic product and process-management systems to the extent that full-time interface-management (IM) positions exist in practice. However, IM lacks formal structure, integration with critical-path-method scheduling, and methods to identify high-risk interface points (IPs). Throughout this paper, a graph-based algorithm is developed to identify key IPs in the network of IPs in a capital project. Furthermore, a new approach is discussed to link the key IPs to the interface milestones to identify schedule-related risks and mitigate their adverse impact. The functionality of the proposed algorithms is demonstrate...

Recent research efforts to improve construction progress tracking has focused on employing emerging technologies such as three dimensional (3D) imaging, including digital photogrammetry and 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). Previous research has shown that "Scan-vs-BIM" object recognition systems, which fuse 3D TLS and 4D project BIM, provide valuable information for tracking structural works. However, until now, these systems have focused on tracking progress for permanent structures only; none of them has considered progress of secondary or temporary structures. In the context of structural concrete work, temporary structures include formwork, scaffolding and shoring, while secondary components include rebar. The value of tracking temporary and secondary elements is that it would add veracity and detail to the progress tracking process and, consequently, to billing. This paper presents two different techniques for detecting concrete construction secondary and temporary objects in TLS point clouds, one of which is based on a Scan-vs-BIM object recognition system. Both techniques are tested using real-life data collected from a reinforced concrete building construction site. The preliminary experimental results show that it is feasible to detect and track secondary and temporary objects in 3D TLS point clouds with high accuracy. This will help to improve progress estimation and tracking.

Many construction projects are becoming more complex and large in scale due to advances in technology and operations. These projects involve many stakeholders, with different geographical locations and working cultures, collaborating with one another throughout the project life cycle. Industry leaders believe that interface management systems can be created to improve alignment between stakeholders and reduce project issues and conflicts. However, identifying interfaces and monitoring interface states are significant challenges that creates a continues struggle for owners. Interfaces are generally considered as the links between different construction elements, stakeholders and project scopes. Poor management of interfaces may result in deficiencies in the project cost, time, and quality during the project life cycle execution, or may result in failures after the project has been delivered. Therefore, having systematic interface management to effectively handle the interfaces through the project life cycle is critical to project performance. In this paper, a process based approach is proposed for interface management of mega capital projects, starting with the definition and taxonomy of interfaces. Then, the main steps for implementing an Interface Management System (IMS) are introduced: (1) interface identification, (2) documentation, (3) issuing, (4) communication, and (5) closing.