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Consultant pre‐selection is an essential process to distinguish capable candidates before they are invited to submit their technical and fee proposals for consultancy assignments. Despite that, many clients have their own criteria and emphasis, and this could result in discrepancies in pre‐selection decisions. The aim of this paper is to devise a more objective framework for evaluating consultants' general capabilities during the pre‐selection process. The paper begins by identifying the commonly used criteria for pre‐selecting engineering consultants. In order to examine the importance of consultant pre‐selection criteria (CPC), a questionnaire survey has been conducted with clients who are responsible for pre‐selecting their consultants; and consultants being pre‐selected by the clients. The findings reveal that the perception of the client and consultant groups on the importance of CPC was very consistent. Finally, a multi‐criteria model for evaluating consultants' general capabilities during the pre‐selection is proposed. Based on each candidate score, clients can determine which engineering consultants should be invited to bid for a consultancy assignment.

Quality assurance has generally been accepted by the construction industry since the introduction of ISO 9000 quality standards in 1987. About 40 consulting engineering firms have successfully achieved ISO 9001 certification in Hong Kong from 1994 but the quality assurance processes described in the standard have not been unanimously agreed by the consulting engineers. The ISO 9001 was initially developed for the manufacturing sector and its application to knowledge‐based services is questionable. A survey has been conducted amongst certified consultants to collect objective and representative evidence of the suitability of applying ISO 9001. This paper reveals their motivation for and experience in implementing and maintaining a quality management system to ISO 9001. The benefits of the ISO 9001 quality system on consulting engineering firms and the inter‐relationship between quality, cost and time are also explored.

This study is an analysis of client‐consultant relationships centered around a large capital project, specifically in planning to build a self contained steel production plant in a country on the North African coast. The total contract value was £350m ($800m approximately). A number of consultants bidded for the project and the contract was given to two companies, both based in Europe but of different nationalities. Two products were required from the consultants, an engineering systems plan for the total steel plant and a manpower plan assessing labour requirements, training needs and an analysis of individual jobs and hierarchical roles. Relatively few problems were experienced in the drafting of the engineering plan. The point at issue centered over the manpower plan.

This research investigates procedures and effective practices on staffing needs and utilization for successful implementation of alternative contracting methods (ACMs) in the United Sates, including design–build (D–B) and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) delivery methods.

The review of published empirical studies, a national survey of transportation agencies and case studies of highway agencies form the basis of the conclusions in this research. In addition to the national survey, with 46 of 50 agencies participating, the research presents case studies from five highway agencies in the United States including the following: California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota and Virginia. These five case studies were selected from agencies that have extensive experience in delivering ACM projects. The case studies involved a thorough procedural review and structured interviews of agency personnel. The agencies then validated the results and conclusions.

The results showed that implementing ACM projects requires different knowledge, skills and management and coordination efforts than traditional design–bid–build (D–B–B) projects. The study found that the key success factors of implementing ACMs are the following: (1) establishment of an ACM champion; (2) active involvement of key staff throughout the ACM project development process; (3) appropriate use of consultants and (4) ACM training and staff development.

The issue on how to attract and retain talented staff and a committed core workforce with appropriate skills and competences for ACM implementation is vital for highway agencies, but it lacks information and guidance. The chief limitation of this research is that the primary data were collected from highway agencies in the United Sates. Any future research should include more data to enhance the validity of this study outside of the public transportation sector.

Developing a sustainable level of core staff plays an important role in implementing an ACM program. The result of this research will help transportation agencies and other public owners to develop effective staffing strategies for successful implementation of ACMs. The findings of this research also address the appropriate use of consultants to supplement core staff with regard to delivery of ACM projects.

This research is the first attempt to examine the staffing needs and utilization for ACM projects.

The UK Government construction strategy has a clear objective to maximise potential and value for construction and infrastructure projects. The purpose of this paper was to develop a performance outcome framework for the public-sector university client to identify the criteria for value against which construction consultants’ performance will be appraised for selection and monitoring purposes in outsourcing.

Multiple-case study method was used to examine the performance requirements of construction consultants, using three state universities having similar contexts in terms of organisation objectives and requirements on projects funded by the government.

Within the public-sector university environment, five performance outcomes are identified: time, cost, quality, innovations and working relationship with the client. These areas form a conceptual framework for measuring the performance of construction consultants.

The performance outcome framework developed should be regarded as “conceptual”. University clients may have different organisation objectives and hence requirements for performance outcomes, which may further vary according to specific project situations. The framework should be adapted accordingly.

University clients and their professional advisors should specify the performance requirements under those five areas in tender documents for selection purposes and subsequently use them as key performance indicators to monitoring the consultant performance. Construction consultants should address these requirements in the tender proposals to add value to the project.

There is a need to investigate what performance outcomes are required by the public-sector construction client. Based on the results of this research, frameworks and guidelines can be further developed for use by other public sectors, thus benefitting the wider public sector as a whole.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the job satisfaction levels between International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001-certified and non-ISO 9001-certified project-based companies in Jordan, for project managers (PMs) and project team members (consultants, engineers and architects).

The study sample consists of individuals from the aforementioned four roles of ISO 9001-certified and non-ISO 9001-certified companies. A questionnaire survey was used to collect the data from 57 companies. In total, 72 valid questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 92.98 percent. The data obtained were statistically analyzed, and then the independent t-test was used to test the study hypotheses.

The results revealed that ISO 9001-certified companies experience higher job satisfaction level for the four roles compared to non-ISO 9001-certified companies. Between the two samples, it was noted that there is a significant difference in the PMs’, consultants’ and engineers’ satisfaction with co-workers and without any remarkable difference in the specific satisfaction. No significant difference between the two samples in general satisfaction was found for PMs and engineers. Finally, no significant difference was found in three satisfaction elements for architects.

Understanding the linkage between being ISO 9001-certified company and project members’ job satisfaction can provide a new strategic direction for project-based companies’ performance management that can help in achieving superior work outcomes. A small sample size is considered the main limitation of this study.

This study attempts to fill the knowledge gap that is rarely investigated in the literature, i.e. the link between being ISO 9001-certified company and the level of project members’ job satisfaction.

Presents the findings of an investigation into the attitudes of civil engineers and their companies towards modern management practices. Contractors are moving rapidly to meet the challenges of a modern business world and are making full use of the tools available. Consultants, however, are lagging behind in their attitudes and are slower in embracing the theories and practices involved. The investigation has raised as many questions as have been answered but sufficient information has been provided to make the reader think seriously about the subject of management, and the training of managers within the construction industry.

It is widely known that carbon dioxide emissions and climate change are among the most critical global challenges. These issues were worsened partly by the continuous adoption of traditional non-green behaviors and practices in the construction sector. As both environmental and health-related practices continue to worsen, practitioners, researchers and government think tanks are taking a major shift to promote green building practices (GBP). The purpose of this paper is to examine and investigate the effects of several environment-related variables such as sustainable government support, environmental concern and green engagement in the adoption of GBP.

The model of the study was developed based on the integration of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), value-belief-norm and cognition-affective behavior (CAB). The instrument used to capture these constructs was adapted from existing validated instruments. The data were collected from Qatar-based consultant and contractor engineers. Of the 877 questionnaires distributed, 378 were completed which yields a response rate of 43 percent. The collected data were analyzed by employing the PLS-SEM approach. First, the measurement model was examined to confirm the validity and reliability of the measures. Next, the structural model was analyzed to test the hypotheses of the study.

The results of the study showed that environment-related variables such as green engagement, sustainable government support and environmental concern have strong effects on GBP along with other TPB variables, namely, subjective norms and attitudes.

Although the objectives of the study were achieved, there are still some limitations. First, this study yields a deemed suitable response rate. Second, since this research focused solely on the view of the contractors and consultants of the country’s engineering sector, it may have narrowed down the real scenario.

Besides the government providing awareness campaigns on the importance of GBP in reducing pollution, the government may also set some regulations to be followed by construction companies to reduce the negative impacts on the environment and regulations that could motivate the decision makers to increase the green construction projects and practices. In addition, the engineers still need some supports from green building authorities and government to motivate them toward GBP. Some incentives that could be offered by the government are financial allowances, funding and reduced governmental fees.

This study has a great theoretical value since it extended the TPB by incorporating some important environment-related variables to explain the adoption of GBP. In addition, from the practical perspective, this study provides useful insights for the practitioners and policy makers who are concerned about designing and planning environment-friendly strategies in the sector of construction.

Risk identification is an integral part of overall risk management framework of projects. The risks associated with projects and their response planning differs according to the country and the sector specific environment in which they are being implemented. In this paper, the study is carried out to identify the critical risk factors causing delay in Kuwait’s building and infrastructure projects. The preparation of a preliminary list of risks and risk factors is outlined, questionnaire development and survey details are explained, and analysis of survey responses for the identification of delay risk factors in Kuwait is presented. A case study analysis with respect to time‐overrun/delay of about 28 building and infrastructure projects executed in Kuwait is also presented to validate the survey results. Survey and case study results show that the frequency of time‐overrun in KuwaitRisk identification is an integral part of overall risk management framework of projects. The risks associated with projects and their response planning differs according to the country and the sector specific environment in which they are being implemented. In this paper, the study is carried out to identify the critical risk factors causing delay in Kuwait’s building and infrastructure projects. The preparation of a preliminary list of risks and risk factors is outlined, questionnaire development and survey details are explained, and analysis of survey responses for the identification of delay risk factors in Kuwait is presented. A case study analysis with respect to time‐overrun/delay of about 28 building and infrastructure projects executed in Kuwait is also presented to validate the survey results. Survey and case study results show that the frequency of time‐overrun in Kuwait’s construction projects is very high. The five most critical time‐overrun factors identified in Kuwait’s infrastructure and building projects are: delay in government approvals/permits, delay in preparation and approval in variation orders, client induced additional work beyond the original scope, changed engineering conditions from the contract document and decreased labor productivity due to extreme climatic conditions. All the above risk factors are rated as moderately critical to very critical in Kuwaits construction projects is very high. The five most critical time‐overrun factors identified in Kuwait’s infrastructure and building projects are: delay in government approvals/permits, delay in preparation and approval in variation orders, client induced additional work beyond the original scope, changed engineering conditions from the contract document and decreased labor productivity due to extreme climatic conditions. All the above risk factors are rated as moderately critical to very critical in Kuwait.

Looks at the construction industry’s approach to quality management by focusing on the sector of civil and structural engineering consulting, with an in‐depth study of one company in particular. Examines the premiss that the industry does not really understand total quality management, but merely considers the management of quality to be the gaining of BS 5750 registration. The study was carried out on a literature review and interview basis in six offices of a multi‐disciplinary firm of consulting engineers. Comparison of the case study findings with Oakland’s model for TQM and the literature review provide a résumé of the current status of understanding and management of quality in construction.