Supply Chain and Procurement Digitalization in Construction: Relational Impacts on Productivity and Sustainability

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 1968

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999997, China
Interests: construction and real estate finance; infrastructure procurement automation; engineering ethics; quantity surveying digitization; urban infrastructure economics, policy, and governance

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Guest Editor
School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B4 7XG, UK
Interests: supply chain resilience; value management; lean construction; construction industrialization; data-driven methods in construction management

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, Sutherland Building, Northumberland Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
Interests: climate-smart infrastructure; public–private partnership (PPP); procurement; carbon management and green building technologies in construction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the advent and advancement of electronic information systems and the digitalization of processes across different industries, the supply chain and procurement (SCP) processes of both public and private sectors across the globe have seen a massive digital transformation over recent decades. However, it must be acknowledged that every innovation or technology advancement comes with inherent risks, threats, weaknesses, and barriers to its effective adoption and application.

Typical applications of current digital tools or technologies, including blockchain, smart contracts, internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, and other sophisticated self-learning applications, are yet to be examined deeply, particularly within the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) domain. The need to explore and expand the knowledge domain of SCP digitalization in the AEC sector is crucial for the development, adoption, and application of the mentioned tools in enhancing and expediting productivity and sustainability (in terms of economic growth, social development, and environmental protection) within the domain. Moreover, other than examining and measuring the development, adoption, application, and impact of these digital tools on productivity, sustainability, and other vital constructs, including circular economy, there is also the need to create a holistic ecosystem for managing data flow and processes throughout the SCP lifecycle in AEC projects, particularly for industrialized construction and other modular construction units. Similar examinations are also encouraged for traditional projects.

This Special Issue (SI) calls for studies looking into the stages, processes, and activities of SCP digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation. Thus, it aims to contribute to both the theoretical position and practical application of the broader technological, socio-economic, and environmental issues and advances in SCP as well as extend the knowledge domains of digital tools and applications for SCP processes. We encourage the manuscripts to combine theoretical grounding with phenomenon-driven questions that can shape practice. Case studies are also welcomed in this Special Issue.

Potential keywords include, but are not limited to:

  • Supply Chain Management; 
  • Procurement Lifecycle; 
  • Green Procurement; 
  • Productivity Supply-Chain Resilience; 
  • Digitalization, Digitization and Digital Transformation; 
  • Internet Of Things; 
  • Blockchain And Smart Contracts; 
  • Cloud Computing; 
  • Artificial Intelligence; 
  • Supply Chain Management; 
  • Supply Chain Data Management; 
  • Infrastructure Procurement;
  • Procurement Risk Assessment; 
  • Supply Chain Audit; 
  • Tendering Algorithms.

Dr. Emmanuel Kingsford Owusu
Dr. Anushika Ekanayake Mudiyanselage
Dr. Ernest Effah Ameyaw
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • supply chain management
  • procurement lifecycle
  • green procurement
  • productivity supply-chain resilience
  • digitalization, digitization and digital transformation
  • internet of things
  • blockchain and smart contracts
  • cloud computing
  • artificial intelligence
  • supply chain management
  • supply chain data management
  • infrastructure procurement
  • procurement risk assessment
  • supply chain audit
  • tendering algorithms

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 996 KiB  
Article
Challenges in the Integration of E-Procurement Procedures into Construction Supply Chains
by Asli Pelin Gurgun, Handan Kunkcu, Kerim Koc, David Arditi and Senay Atabay
Buildings 2024, 14(3), 605; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/buildings14030605 - 24 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1643
Abstract
The growing interest in digitalization signals a need for technology-oriented supply chain operations in the construction industry. Electronic procurement (e-procurement) aims to convert traditional procurement approaches into web-based/online platforms. Even though e-procurement is an effective tool that may improve supply chain management, the [...] Read more.
The growing interest in digitalization signals a need for technology-oriented supply chain operations in the construction industry. Electronic procurement (e-procurement) aims to convert traditional procurement approaches into web-based/online platforms. Even though e-procurement is an effective tool that may improve supply chain management, the extent of e-procurement implementation has been slow to date. This study investigates the barriers that hinder e-procurement implementation in construction supply chains with the aim of prioritizing solutions to the identified barriers relative to time, cost, quality, and construction owner satisfaction. A comprehensive literature survey was performed, and a focus group discussion was organized for the purpose of the study, which resulted in the identification of 28 barriers. Then, a total of 131 construction practitioners were contacted to evaluate the barriers through a questionnaire survey. The responses were analyzed using the fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarities to Ideal Solution (fuzzy TOPSIS) for prioritization. Finally, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a deeper insight into the transformation process from the conventional procurement route to the e-procurement solution. Findings highlight that issues related to unexpected order cancellations, large variations in material costs, and the uncertain nature of the industry that requires a large number of changes are ranked as the most significant barriers. Given the highly competitive environment and the high demand for advanced technologies in the construction industry, a new paradigm can enhance the efficiency of supply chain operations. Exploring and eliminating the potential difficulties of adopting e-procurement in the procurement process may be a good start. Overall, this research is expected to facilitate the transformation of the procurement process by addressing the critical barriers identified by practitioners. Full article
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