This is the first post-Egan book to look at benchmarking and KPIs (key performance indicators) in the construction industry.

Benchmarking is one of the key management techniques the construction industry now needs to adopt if it is to meet challenging new efficiency and productivity targets as well as clients' demands for best value. Contracts are increasingly being awarded only to contractors who can demonstrate the lean construction practices that come with benchmarking.

This authoritative and accessible book:

* clarifies the thinking behind benchmarking and why firms must now adopt it

*shows how to set up effective benchmarking

*explains the theoretical background and offers clear, practical guidance

*demonstrates best practice though reference to case studies.

There are nine case studies describing the use of KPIs and the application of the EFQM excellence model - including contributions from Morrison and John Mowlem

The author

Steve McCabe is senior lecturer in the School of Property and Construction at the University of Central England in Birmingham. He has conducted extensive research in quality improvement techniques and benchmarking and has wide experience in industry with a number of contractors and within the local authority sector.

Contents:
Chapter 1. The Project Implementation Process. 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 The Project Culture. 1.3 Project Implementation. 1.4 The Project Strategy. Chapter 2. Clients of the Construction Industry. 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 The Role of the Client and Third Parties. 2.3 The Clients Project Objectives and Needs. Chapter 3. The Concept and Evolution of the Procurement Systems. 3.1 Terminology. 3.2 The Evolution of Procurement Systems. 3.3 Categorisation of Procurement Systems. Chapter 4. Separated Procurement Systems. 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 The Conventional Method. 4.3 Variants of the Conventional Method. Chapter 5. Integrated Procurement Systems. 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Design and Build. 5.3 Variants of Design and Build. Chapter 6. Management-Orientated Procurement Systems. 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Management Contracting. 6.3 Construction Management. 6.4 Design and Manage. Chapter 7. Discretionary Procurement Systems. 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Partnering. 7.3 The British Property Federation System. Chapter 8. The Selection of Building Procurement Systems. 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Theoretical Selection. 8.3 Selection in Practice. 8.4 Summary. Chapter 9. Successful Project Procurement. 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Achieving Clients Project Objectives and Needs. 9.3 Dealing with Internal and External Environments. 9.4 Team Work. 9.5 Integrating and Co-ordinating Project Activities. 9.6 Summary. Chapter 10. Future Trends in Project Procurement.

Best remembered today for his fierce opposition to labor, especially during the Homestead Strike of 1892, Henry Clay Frick was also one of the most powerful and innovative industrialists of the nineteenth century. Kenneth Warren is the first historian to be given unrestricted access to the extensive Frick archives in Pittsburgh. Drawing on Frick's personal and business papers, as well as the records of the H. C. Frick Coal & Coke Company, the Carnegie Steel Company, and the U.S. Steel Corporation, Warren provides a wealth of new insights into Frick's relationship with such contemporaries as Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, Charles Schwab, and Elbert Gary. He describes and analyzes the key decisions that formed labor and industrial policy in the iron and steel industry during a period of growth that remains unparalleled in American business history. Not only an industrial biography of a driving force in American industry and the organization of American business, Triumphant Capitalism makes a major contribution to our understanding of the history of the basic industries, the shaping of society, locality, and region - and thereby of laying the foundations for the value systems and landscapes of present-day America.

Through a combination of rich architectural and ethnographic description, this study of apprenticeship and human spatial cognition provides a fascinating insight into the daily lives and activities of a professional class of craftsmen, and investigates the unique teaching-learning processes that distinguish their trade and mould both their professional and social characters.

How can innovation in the construction industry be strengthened? What instruments and approaches are being used by governments to promote it? What works and under what circumstances? These key questions have profound implications. This book presents a framework for the analysis of innovation models and systems in construction and an international comparison of these systems, with a focus on their application in practical policy development.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203303202

External Works Roads and Drainage: A Practical Guide bridges the gap between theory and practice in building, construction and civil engineering, providing practical guidance, and the knowledge required 'on the job'.
This comprehensive book includes sections on legislation, environmental issues, surface water, highway and foul drainage design, road and pavement design, and external works. The book is well illustrated, with flow charts to help guide you through the design process, bullet points and tables.
Written in an accessible style, this guide is an essential reference for engineers, architects, designers, technicians and students looking to increase their design and project planning knowledge.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203301749

The Design and Construction industry is in a state of attempted change. Improvement is a key word for employer, consultant and contractor. Real steps forward are slow, and most damning is the continuous repetition of the same mistakes. Communication in the Design Process considers the gap that can exist between client expectation and realisation in building projects. It focuses on the communication interface between the employer and the consultant design team, and specifically on the areas of function, finance, timescale and aesthetics. This book includes an extensive review of current thinking and guidance on this and other related subjects. New data is obtained from a survey using questionnaires and personal semi-structured interviews. Data is presented graphically, analysed and compared with practice as defined in current literature.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203478916

Contractual disputes, often involving large sums of money, occur with increasing frequency in the construction industry. This book presents - in non-legal language - sound professional advice from a recognized expert in the field on the practical aspects of claims. This edition has been brought right up to date by taking into account legal decisions promulgated over the last 17 years, as well as reflecting the effect of current inflation on claims. The new edition is based on the 1998 JCT contract. *Fully updated second edition of this practical guide. *Worked examples to back up the advice offered and relate it to practitioners' experience.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203475909

Construction Scheduling, Cost Optimization and Management presents a general mathematical formula for the scheduling of construction projects. Using this formula, repetitive and non-repetitive tasks, work continuity considerations, multiple-crew strategies, and the effects of varying job conditions on the performance of a crew can be modelled.L This book presents an entirely new approach to the construction scheduling problem. It provides a practical methodology which will be of great benefit to all those involved in construction scheduling and cost optimization, including construction engineers, highway engineers, transportation engineers, contractors and architects. It will also be useful for researchers, and graduates on courses in construction scheduling and planning.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203302230

If one party to a construction contract does work that turns out to be defective, the other party is allowed by law to a set offa or deduct a sum required to make good that defect. This happens frequently in construction contracts and regularly involves large sums of money, disputes, and litigation. It is a complex area of the law with a number of cases, as well as the contractual provisions themselves, which prescribe a partya s right of set--off. This book clearly describes the law and examines the provisions of the main building and civil engineering contracts.

Based on an industrial relations case study conducted in a British Steel plant in the north east coast iron and steel industry, this book, first published in 1976, is an account of the application of sociological concepts and ideas to the process of social relations between employer and employee, and between all types of workers in industrial organisations.

Spon's European Construction Costs Handbook is the only book of its kind - a unique compilation of cost data on the single most important construction market in the world. This updated edition expands its coverage of countries and once again gives details of the difficult-to-research markets of Eastern Europe as well as Western Europe, North and South. The book includes: * key data on the main economic and construction indicators as well as on geography and population * an outline of the national construction industry covering structure, tendering and contract procedures, liability and insurance and regulation and standards. * labour and materials cost data * measured rates (in local currency) for up to 60 or so construction work items * approximate estimating costs for a range of building types * regional variation percentages, tax details, construction cost and retail price indices. Exchange rates with £ sterling, euro and US$ * addresses of authorities, professional institutions, trade associations etc. To facilitate country to country comparisons the book also includes a Comparative Data section, where figures from the individual country chapters are grouped in tables on economy, geography, construction output, input costs per square metre for offices, warehouses and housing. Figures here are given in national currency, sterling, US dollars and Euros.

In 1986, with little warning, the USX Homestead Works closed. Thousands of workers who depended on steel to survive were left without work. "A Town Without Steel" looks at the people of Homestead as they reinvent their views of household and work and place in this world. The book details the modifications and revisions of domestic strategies in a public crisis. In some ways unique, and in some ways typical of American industrial towns, the plight of Homestead sheds light on social, cultural, and political developments of the late twentieth century.
In this anthropological and photographic account of a town facing the crisis of deindustrialization, "A Town Without Steel" focuses on families. Reminiscent of Margaret Byington and Lewis Hine's approach in Homestead, Charlee Brodsky's photographs document the visual dimension of change in Homestead. The mill that dominated the landscape transformed to a vast, empty lot; a crowded commercial street turns into a ghost town; and an abundance of well-kept homes become an abandoned street of houses for sale. The individual narratives and family snapshots, Modell's interpretations, and Brodsky's photographs all evoke the tragedy and the resilience of a town whose primary source of self-identification no longer exists.

Concrete technology for a sustainable development in the 21st century focuses on the problems and challenges for the concrete industry today and in the future with particular emphasis on environmental consiousness. Primary topics include: the improvement of concretes service life to ease technical and economical problems and the waste of natural resources; environmentally friendly concrete production including new production methods and recycling materials; and actually using concrete to solve environmental problems, for example through the containment of hazardous waste.
The book is the result of the international workshop held in Lofoton, Norway. With very select contributions from the most distinguished international professional experts, this book provides a basic framework and guidelines for national and international bodies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203220854

The construction industry is vital to any national economy; it is also one of the industries most susceptible to workplace incidents. The unacceptably high rates of incidents in construction have huge socio-economic consequences for the victims, their families and friends, co-workers, employers and society at large. Construction safety researchers have introduced numerous strategies, models and tools through scientific inquiries involving primary data collection and analyses. While these efforts are commendable, there is a huge potential to create new knowledge and predictive models to improve construction safety by utilising already existing data about workplace incidents. In this new book, Imriyas Kamardeen argues that more sophisticated approaches need to be deployed to enable improved analyses of incident data sets and the extraction of more valuable insights, patterns and knowledge to prevent work injuries and illnesses. The book aims to apply data mining and analytic techniques to past workplace incident data to discover patterns that facilitate the development of innovative models and strategies, thereby improving work health, safety and well-being in construction, and curtailing the high rate of incidents. It is essential reading for researchers and professionals in construction, health and safety and anyone interested in data analytics.

Richard Ellis is a consultant in communications and the successful author of 'Communication for Engineers'. In each chapter he highlights key points and situations, and provides exercises to consolidate what has already been learnt. The book ends with a 'toolbox' of useful information on subjects such as writing letters, spelling, punctuation, using abbreviations, studying for exams, using libraries and training. Written in clear, informative English, with the emphasis on the practical, this book is essential reading for both students and professionals in the construction industry.

An important part of an organization's overall safety and health program involves safety management for contractors. A contractor with a poor safety program can adversely affect quality, productivity, schedules, and overall cost. This book explains how to manage project safety and improve the odds of an injury-free workplace.

If project managers are to apply their judgment wisely, they need to know the rationale for each requirement, and how to implement it. They must know what is to be done, who is to do it, and when and how it should be done. The author considers all these factors.

Construction Site Safety addresses the fundamental elements of a successful construction safety program. The author explains the industry trends and best practices that enable job site managers or field engineers to understand the necessary steps to ensure that contractors have and follow safety guidelines.

Features

The Design and Construction industry is in a state of attempted change. Improvement is a key word for employer, consultant and contractor. Real steps forward are slow, and most damning is the continuous repetition of the same mistakes. Communication in the Design Process considers the gap that can exist between client expectation and realisation in building projects. It focuses on the communication interface between the employer and the consultant design team, and specifically on the areas of function, finance, timescale and aesthetics. This book includes an extensive review of current thinking and guidance on this and other related subjects. New data is obtained from a survey using questionnaires and personal semi-structured interviews. Data is presented graphically, analysed and compared with practice as defined in current literature.

This comparative international review of law and practice liability describes the framework in which lawyers, insurers, contractors and clients dealing with liability operate. The act of building involves risk and, in the case of damages occurring after construction, it is often hard to identify responsibility.
This will be an essential reference for construction lawyers, insurers and other senior practitioners and managers in industry, based on research and analysis by CIB (Conseil International du Batiment) as part of the CIB series programme.

The second edition of Building Contract Claims and Disputes (first published as Building Contract Disputes) provides a study of the causes of contractual disputes, particularly of claims in construction projects and of how they can be resolved successfully. It examines contracts, decisions, documentation and project operation from the points of view of clients, contractors, subcontractors and professional advisers. Readers in practice will find this book an invaluable and comprehensive reference. Those taking professional examinations or degree and postgraduate courses will also benefit greatly from it. The book explains the background, preparation and settlement of claims, with negotiation and dispute resolution from mediation to adjudication, arbitration and legal proceedings. The interrelations of variations, extension of time and loss and expense are considered. Three specially structured case studies of construction projects illustrate and apply the principles to detailed practical situations. This edition deals with a considerably expanded range of contracts, including JCT, GC/Works/1, design and build, minor works, ICE and innovative NEC. It covers recent legal rulings and changes in the law and contract forms, as well as parts of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 and the Arbitration Act 1996.

The steel industry is one of the many major world industries extensively restructured in this era of globalization. This text explains how and why the steel industry has shifted from advanced capitalist countries to late industrializing countries. Drawing upon case studies of the steel industry in the US, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and India, Anthony P. D'Costa examines the relationship between industrial change and institutional responses to technological diffusion. He reveals that governments' and firms' differing responses to innovations lead to an uneven diffusion of technology and industrial reorganization. Moreover, when it becomes clear that existing institutional arrangements no longer serve the industry well, new arrangements are created which allow for innovative behaviour. Often this has created opportunities for technological "leapfrogging" and the emergence of new technologies in unexpected places. The steel industry has consequently known a new dynamism and the open-ended nature of capitalist competition has been firmly underscored.

What are the implications of the changing culture of the construction industry for procurement? The concepts of partnering, collaboration and mutual benefit are increasingly important and represent a positive move away from the past when disputes and their avoidance were such key issues in procurement. This book is a compilation of papers presented at the CIB W92 Symposium held in Chaing Mai, Thailand in January 1999. The volume, drawing on contributions from experts in construction contract procurement from 22 countries, addresses the issues of culture within organizations and national cultures and their impact on procurement, performance and profitability. The theme of harmony stems from the increasing interest in culture, in particular in Asian societies where harmony is seen as a key element in all phases and sectors of life. In the West, the concept of partnering has been the subject of much attention with the emphasis pointing towards harmonious and symbiotic relationships. Substantial coverage is given to private finance projects; privatized infrastructure projects; contractor selection and prequalification; decision support systems for procurement; management of design; con

Lay Analysis: Life Inside the Controversy chronicles the history of nonmedical analysis in absorbing detail. It begins with the events of 1910 in Europe and America that initiated their divergent attitudes and policies regarding lay analysis, proceeds to the unfolding struggles over this issue on both sides of the Atlantic, and reviews the halting efforts of the APsaA, beginning in the 1950s, to reassess its opposition to lay analysis and make some provision for the training of nonmedical practitioners. Wallerstein's illuminating treatment of the response of American nonphysician therapists to the APsaA's policy - the manner in which they managed to obtain clinical psychoanalytic training despite the APsaA's prohibition - forms a fascinating story within his grand narrative.

The book culminates in a comprehensive review of the lawsuit of March 1985 in which four clinical psychologists, representing a stated class of several thousand colleagues and fully supported by the American Psychological Association, brought suit against the APsaA and IPA, hoping in this way to force a change in the APsaA's policies regarding the training of lay practitioners. Wallerstein, drawing on the voluminous documentation to which he had full access - memoranda, correspondence, depositions, legal briefs, and phone conversations - reviews the three-and-a-half-year history of the lawsuit. He concludes his narrative with a measured and thoughtful assessment of the impact of the settlement on psychoanalysis today: the changes it has brought about within organized psychoanalysis and the meaning of those changes for psychoanalysis as a discipline.
Given Wallerstein's comprehensive scholarship, his admirable even-handedness, and his unique participatory role in the lay analysis controversy over the course of his career, it is unsurprising that Lay Analysis: Life Inside the Controversy should achieve distinction as a major contribution to the institutional history of psychoanalysis.

This text provides a practical design guide to the structural use of aluminium. It includes an outline on basic aluminium technology and the advantages of using aluminium in many structural applications. The book should be of interest to structural engineers in the construction and building industry, also in transport and the motor vehicle industry, offshore engineering, and specialist military engineering.

To reflect the need for increasing expertise in a highly complex legal arena, the Conseil International du Batiment pour la Recherche L'Etude et la Documentation (CIB) inaugurated an international task force, TG15, to study the area of construction disputes around the world, which now has more than 120 members in 30 countries. Drawing from an international expert author based from the CIB taskforce, and edited by coordinators of TG15, experts representing both the legal and construction professions, this book aims to provide a first reference for those considering, or already, working in the international workplace. Each of the 25 national monographs report on construction dispute practice and procedure according to a standard format, providing the reader with the necessary tools for managing conflicts and resolving disputes on construction projects in different countries.