Data Management for Integrated Supply Chains in Construction

Beaumont, Wes; Underwood, J

Abstract

In his report 1962 Sir Harold Emmerson, referring to the construction industry, commented, “In no other important industry in the world is the responsibility for design so far removed from the responsibility for production”. Whilst it is true that this gap has been reduced, there still remains a lack of integration between stakeholders, particularly within the wider supply chain.

The industry is fragmented and adversarial limiting the potential for integrated teams with open communication and information exchange. However, collaboration is essential in achieving maximum value and despite advances in technology with the use of web collaboration tools, the level of integration among stakeholders is still low. Additionally current practices in information are linear and sequential, limiting the ability to add value in early stages of projects.

A number of countries worldwide have started to mandate the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM). The UK Government, in its 2011 construction strategy, in an effort to reduce whole life costs and reduce carbon emissions, mandated the use of BIM ‘Level Two’ on all centrally procurement projects, by 2016 This will, in theory, provide the process and technology that finally closes the gap between construction stakeholders, creating truly collaborative and integrated project teams, throughout the entire supply chain, using data driven procurement and delivery strategies.

However, while the transformation to Level Two BIM develops the capabilities for the digital procurement of assets, Level Three (Digital Built Britain Strategy) further serves to facilitate deriving “value” through Big Data and the ‘smarter’ lifecycle management of the built environment. Thereby, the ‘smarter’ life-cycle management of the built environment is enabled through digital procurement that is based on a data-driven approach which embraces the capital delivery and operational management of assets along with performance management across assets, sectors, and society/ies. In addition, Level 3 BIM will form the basis for Level 4 BIM whereby the focus of deriving value extends to societal outcomes and wellbeing.

Citation

Beaumont, W., & Underwood, J. (in press). Data Management for Integrated Supply Chains in Construction. In G. Lundesjö (Ed.), Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Construction (91-119). Kogan Page

• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Mar 26, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Pages: 91-119
• Book Title: Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Construction
• Publisher URL: http://www.koganpage.com/product/supply-chain-management-and-logistics-in-construction-9780749472429
• Additional Information: Funders : Kogan Page