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Due to the increasing size and complexity of construction projects, construction engineering and management involves the coordination of many complex and dynamic processes and relies on the analysis of uncertain, imprecise and incomplete information, including subjective and linguistically expressed information. Various modelling and computing techniques have been used by construction researchers and applied to practical construction problems in order to overcome these challenges, including fuzzy hybrid techniques. Fuzzy hybrid techniques combine the human-like reasoning capabilities of fuzzy logic with the capabilities of other techniques, such as optimization, machine learning, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and simulation, to capitalise on their strengths and overcome their limitations. Based on a review of construction literature, this chapter identifies the most common types of fuzzy hybrid techniques applied to construction problems and reviews selected papers in each category of fuzzy hybrid technique to illustrate their capabilities for addressing construction challenges. Finally, this chapter discusses areas for future development of fuzzy hybrid techniques that will increase their capabilities for solving construction-related problems. The contributions of this chapter are threefold: (1) the limitations of some standard techniques for solving construction problems are discussed, as are the ways that fuzzy methods have been hybridized with these techniques in order to address their limitations; (2) a review of existing applications of fuzzy hybrid techniques in construction is provided in order to illustrate the capabilities of these techniques for solving a variety of construction problems and (3) potential improvements in each category of fuzzy hybrid technique in construction are provided, as areas for future research.

Most decision-making problems in construction are complex and difficult to solve, as they involve multiple criteria and multiple decision makers in addition to subjective uncertainties, imprecisions and vagueness surrounding the decision-making process. In many instances, the decision-making process is based on linguistic terms rather than numerical values. Hence, structured fuzzy consensus-reaching processes and fuzzy aggregation methods are instrumental in multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problems for capturing the point of view of a group of experts. This chapter outlines different fuzzy consensus-reaching processes and fuzzy aggregation methods. It presents the background of the basic theory and formulation of these processes and methods, as well as numerical examples that illustrate their theory and formulation. Application areas of fuzzy consensus reaching and fuzzy aggregation in the construction domain are identified, and an overview of previously developed frameworks for fuzzy consensus reaching and fuzzy aggregation is provided. Finally, areas for future work are presented that highlight emerging trends and the imminent needs of fuzzy consensus reaching and fuzzy aggregation in the construction domain.

To recognize and investigate the hypotheses that opportunistic behaviour of project participants in infrastructure public–private partnerships (PPPs) changes over the project’s life cycle. Case study methodology is adopted. The first Indian highway PPP project, awarded with negative grant, is used as the case context. Opportunistic behaviour is a continuous game played by the project stakeholders. Its manifestation depends on the vulnerability of the other party at that point in time in the project life cycle and the past display of opportunism. Because the study is limited to a highway project in an emerging economy, the findings may lack generalizability for which further research is recommended. PPP is increasingly popular. Stakeholders recognize that the existing ex-ante contractual arrangements that seek to mitigate opportunism are not enough for project success. This study addresses this difficulty by providing a closer understanding of how opportunistic behaviours evolve over projects’ life cycle and what steps are necessary to negotiate. Failure to address the antecedents of opportunistic behaviour in time leads to a competition to be more opportunistic, in which the common public gets short changed. This study is an attempt to advance understanding of stakeholders’ behaviour outside the ambit of contract. The extant literature is largely silent on the timing and vulnerability of opportunistic behaviour, viewing it as a static concept. The study demonstrates the changing nature of opportunism that manifests in different forms over the projects life cycle.

The essential investments in new product development (NPD) made by industrial companies entail effective management of NPD activities. In this context, performance measurement is one of the means that can be employed in the pursuit of effectiveness.

In the last 15 years, the high-growth economic rates of the Russian Federation (RF) have been caused by expansion of the country's participation in the world's raw and energy markets. Now the economic growth opportunities at the expense of these factors are generally exhausted, Russia is faced by problems of high-quality updating of all aspects of socioeconomic and sociopolitical life. These tasks are dictated as external “major challenges” of global character, and internal processes. To confront the challenges and to minimize risks, Russia needs to change the raw model of economic growth which poses the threats for stability of social and economic development.

First, the scientific, technological, and innovative policy which is carried out by industrially developed countries and some new industrial countries is to create the answer to a challenge of maintaining competitiveness and achievement of high productivity rates now. Its purpose is to stimulate development and deployment of advanced technologies, whose productivity significantly exceeds characteristics of traditional technologies.

The happening changes are so considerable that the world enters, perhaps, in the largest technological transition for all history when the richness of natural resources and low cost of work stop being major factors of growth. In total, these changes are estimated as “new industrial revolution” or, in narrower sense, as “technological revolution” which are based on the transition from mass production of the standardized production to the flexible high-performance production which is turning out the individualized products.

In this regard, the productive inclusion in new technological revolution, the implementation of the structural maneuver in economy and social system, can become one of the main objectives for Russia until 2035. The RF should pass a new development model which is based on high-tech industries. It is about the start of the big national project (program) “National Technological Initiative” (NTI).

The implementation of project-planning office functions of NTI is the priority direction of management and modern tool for business which is provided due to the development of NTI planning office, its full-scale expansion, and removal on operational power for support of development and implementation of the plans of measures (“road maps”) of NTI and projects for implementation of “road maps.”