CIVIL 707 – CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

(15 Points,FC 2016)

COURSE CO-ORDINATOR:Dr Vicente Gonzalez

LECTURE TIMES: Lectures Module 1:Mon 7 – Tue 8 – Wed 9 March

Lectures Module 2:Mon 9 – Tue 10 – Wed11May

Schedule: 9.00 am – 6.00 pm

ROOM: 423-340 (Mon 7 – Tue 8 March and Mon 9 – Tue 10 May)

421W-501 (Wed 9 March and Wed 11 May)

PHILOSOPHY:

Construction as a special kind of production requires special attention in its design, planning and control, which in turn depends upon the project managerial practices on-site and its relationship with the external stakeholders such as material suppliers, subcontractors, architectural and engineering suppliers, among others. In this regard, a key functionemerges to improve the way in which is currently managed this relationship: supply chain management. It provides the necessary principles, tools and methodologies to deal with actual“logistics” and “supply chain” issues in construction. Initially, this course will explore the development of logistics and supply chain management from manufacturing. Then, its application in construction according to different production management philosophies and analytical approacheswill be addressed. Finally, the role of information technology and sustainability in construction supply chain management will be analysed. As a result, at the end of this paper, students will be able to understand the main logistic and supply chain issues in construction and use differentapproaches to manage them in projects.

ASSESSMENT:

60%: 2Assignments (30% each)

40%: 1Final test

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

On the completion of this paper the student will understand:

-The nature of supply chain and logistics in construction,

-The role of different buffer management approaches in supply chain problemsin both manufacturing and construction,

-How to design the relationship with several stakeholders in the construction supply chain, at behavioral and contractual level,

-The use of different analytical tools for managing logistics problems in construction,

-The use of different information technologies for logistics and supply chain management, and

-How construction logistics can be affected and improved by sustainable principles.

COURSE OUTLINE:

  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management Basics
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management in Construction
  • Factory and Construction Physics
  • Variability and Buffering in Production
  • Relational Contracting and other Contractual Issues in the Construction Supply Chain
  • Analytical Approaches to deal with Logistics Issues in Construction
  • Reliable Commitment Model: Buffer Management and Negotiation with Third Parties
  • Information Technology in Construction Logistics and Supply Chain Management
  • Construction Logistics Simulation
  • Sustainable Logistic and Supply Chain Management
  • Other Topics

TEXTS:

There are no prescribed texts. Students may find a number of texts which cover the course material well, and should refer to several where possible.

  • Recommended reading
Brewer, A., Button, K. J. and Hensher, D. A. (2001).HandbookofLogistics and Supply-Chain Management 1st Ed., Pergamon, New York.

Chase, R., Jacobs, F. R. and Aquilano, N. (2001). Operations Management for Competitive Advantage 9th Ed., Irwin McGraw Hill, Boston.

Christopher, M. (2005). Logistics & Supply Chain Management: creating value-adding networks (3rd Edition), Pentice-Hall, Harlow, UK.

González, V. and Alarcón, L. F. (2010). Uncertainty Management in Repetitive Projects using Work-In-Process Buffers, Editorial LAMBERT Academic Publishing AG & Co. KG, Germany.

Hoop, W. J. and Spearman, M. L. (2008). Factory Physics 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill/Irwin/Irwin, New York.

Höhn, M. I. (2010). Relational Supply Contracts:Optimal Concessions in Return Policies for Continuous Quality Improvements, New York, Springer.

Law A. M. and Kelton W. D. (2000). Simulation Modeling and Analysis 3rd Ed, McGraw-Hill, New York.

O’Brien, W., Formoso, C., Vrijhoef, R. and London K. (2009). Construction Supply Chain Management Handbook, CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton.

Oglesby, C. H., Parker, H. W. and Howell, G. A. (1988).Productivity Improvement in Construction, McGraw Hill Series in Construction Engineering and Project Management.

PMI (2004). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) - 3rd Ed. Newton Square, P.A., Project Management Institute.

Womack, J. P. and Jones, D. T. (2003). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation. Simon & Schuster, New York.

  • Others

-Core readings from recent and classic journal papers.

-MSc or PhD Theses.

-Public reports.

-Other suggested publications.

Course outline available in CANVAS