Social infrastructure supports nation's living and productive activities, by developing the country's socioeconomy. A project for the infrastructure proceeds stage-wise, ‘identification stage’ for plan & study and ‘implementation stage’ for design & construction. Since the implementation takes large investment, it requi 'res optimal efficiency and transparency in operation for obtaining the nation's agreement and support for the project. The implementation goes with many numbers of stakeholder and often faces unforeseen site conditions during the course of construction, therefore, knowledge of ‘management’ is important at the stage coupled with the technology of ‘engineering’. Conditions of contract in the FIDIC aims to attain the efficiency and transparency, with provision of explicit clauses for the settlement procedure in the events of unforeseen conditions and management system of three parties, namely ‘the Employer’, ‘the Contractor’ and ‘the Engineer’ who exercises fair determination as a third party in the unforeseen events. Japan's two parties system, the Employer and the Contractor, has contributed greatly to the timely completion of the infrastructurefor the growth of the country's economy, by depending on the unique 'good faith rule' in the management. However, the system currently faces a criticism about the mismatch of the system to the changes of the environment, which may require restructuring of the system toward a global one. Taking Japan's great international impact into considerations, such restructuring would contribute to the development of the global socio-economy and eventually to the sustainability of the Japan's socio-economy.

View full abstract

We have considered an application of a technical assistance scheme by using Construction Management (CM) as a resolution for various problems in the construction of rock-fill type dams and as a measure to optimize management of construction schedule, quality and cost control and so on. And now, we are making case studies of CM at MORIYOSHIZAN-Dam and ISAWA-Dam. We are monitoring the case study, and going to evaluate the effects of CM, such as appropriate quality control, thorough cost reduction, improvement of transparency in the whole project and relevant cost management.

View full abstract

Recently, worldwide researches and activities on the resource preservation, such as the global environment, are active all the more. In Japan there exist the problems such as the difficulties in securing the final disposal place, the diversification of wastes and the reduction of revenue source in local cities. So the demand of rational and efficient waste management system is increasing in Japan.
In this paper we developed the planning model of residents agreement of building the waste management facilities as a tool of creating the information to support a desirable planning of waste management system in the regions. And we developed the planning model to calculate the rate of burden expense of waste management system. Then we examined model analysis on actual level through case study at Kusatsu-City, Moriyama-City, Ritto-Cho, Yasu-Cho and Chuzu-Cho.

View full abstract

Recently, there have been various arguments on privatization of public enterprises. The interest of this paper is to take the cost of capital into consideration. The theoretical argument is required to develop discussions to see whether some privatization is worthy from cost point of view.
In this research, first, the structure of cost of capital of the public sectors is clarified by considering the conditions of both public and private enterprises. Finally, the analysis is applied for evaluation by taking public gas enterprises as an example to show if privatization is reasonable.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify an effect of procedural justice such as information provision or reflection of opinions on trust toward government and satisfaction at the stage of consensus building in a dam project with an opinion poll among households moved from the dam site. As the results, the people who consider the procedural of consensus building to be fair generally tended to have high trust toward the government and high satisfaction for the consequences. On the other hand, people who answer “unclear” or “average” tended to evaluate trust and satisfaction to be severer rather than people who consider the procedure to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is important that the stakeholders recognize fair process above all. As the results of correlation analysis, some indexes of procedural justice such as information provision and way of explanation are highly related to the satisfaction for the consequences. On the other hand, some indexes such as information provision, information accuracy and reflection of the opinion are related to the trust toward government. Furthermore, trust toward the government is highly related to satisfaction for theconsequences. Therefore, it is considered from these results that information accuracy and reflection of the opinion indirectly affects satisfaction of consensus through the trust toward government.

View full abstract

We need to offer the benefit of infrastructure as soon as possible by comprehensive project management from quality, cost, time, and environment in order to enhance the infrastructure. Today, the environmental protection causes the delay of the construction agreements and further constraints on the project. It becomes one reason that the project is prolonged. Time management in construction becomes more important than before in order not to control the time schedule, but also to keep the project value from decaying and cut the project cost. Okutadami-Otori hydro power enhancement project of Electric Power Development Co, . Ltd faced severe constraints on time schedule and some changes of the project conditions because it had to pay attention to the natural environment including raptorial birds. While the tailrace work had to be prolonged, we could make the project on schedule by rationalization of the design and works. This paper describes importance of time management out of management skills from the owner side with the case study of this project including environmental protection and schedule control.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to develop a project management system for land readjustment. The group relocation method is thought as more effective for reducing the project time than direct relocation method because the former can deal with several buildings in relocation at once. However, the cost of group relocation method is generally larger than that of direct relocation method because the former requires compensations for building removal and temporal residence in relocation time, which are not necessary in direct relocation method. Therefore, the minimization of the project cost will be achieved by mixed utilization of direct and group relocation methods.
The main results are as follows: 1) The project management system for land readjustment is established which can consider both direct and group relocation methods. 2) The system can output cost-time curve that shows minimum cost and corresponding project time and schedule. 3) The applicability of the proposed system was proved by the case studies on a) simple model project and real projects in b) densely habitant district and c) sparsely habitant districts.

View full abstract

In our current society, public sectors are receiving much information and knowledge that is suggested by people who have various needs about aging society, environmental issues, etc. To improve public services, public sectors must manage knowledge about growing needs and encourage officers of public sectors to create new ideas to solve such issues by themselves.
Knowledge management is one of methods that help to share various knowledge surrounding public sectors and to encourage related persons to share it. This study approaches to knowledge management theoretically and explains the process of knowledge innovation by SECI model. Then, we studied real needs by asking officers' opinion at local offices to share their knowledge and we studied successful examples of knowledge management about 20 private companies. Lastly, we suggested a structure of knowledge management at local offices. According to our study, knowledge management at local offices will be effective to improve quality and efficiency of public service. The next step of this study will be a study about the effective methods to manage knowledge and create the officers' custom to exchange their knowledge independently.

View full abstract

Recently numbers of construction companies are accredited ISO9000s certificate. Especially construction companies in Hokkaido are accredited more rapidly than any other areas in Japan. These companies think this certificate helps to make contract public construction works efficiently. But acquiring the certificate causes other problems in each company. Under these circumstances some researches are conducted, but problems are not clarified thoroughly. This paper discusses the different roles in companies may cause different attitudes and actions in each organization. Because IS09000s identify, the independent authorities and responsibilities in different roles in organizations. In this research, separate questionnaires are prepared for ‘Executives’‘Managers’ and ‘Project managers’ in construction companies in Hokkaido. Differences between these three roles were revealed and shown numerically and graphically.

View full abstract

For the issues extracted during the test application of the progress payment method to public construction works, we proposed a total system based on our investigation of the application of information technology for the progress payment method. The issue of increasing work amount for documentation of progress reports and inspection materials, we thought that the efficiency improvement by 4D-CAD, where product and process models are linked together, is important among the set of the sub systems. Therefore, in this paper, we investigated the model of 4D-CAD system corresponding to the progress payment method, and developed a prototype system. We applied this system to a simplified virtual tunneling work and tested the feasibility and practicality of this method.

View full abstract

In this study, It is developed as follows that new-type systematic scheduling procedure by use of GA, which is very general in that the procedure can take multiple constrains as well as various forms of goal into account: At the first stage, a optimal scheduling model with limited resource problem is formulated as problem of integer programming to obtain the execution state defined by using “ number of activities ”ד number of activities ” matrix. At the second stage, topological characteristics of the project network are analyzed mathematically focusing on the cut set structure. Thus relationship between this cut set structure and execution state which represent as “ number of activities ”ד number of activities ” matrix studied at the above stage is discussed. At the third stage, coding, decoding and GA-operator of new type GA for project scheduling problem are proposed in accordance with cut-network concept which is established through analysis of characteristics of the project scheduling problem at the above stage. At the final stage, it is demonstrated in the model testing using example project network that the proposed procedure can improve the disadvantages of the existing methods compared.

View full abstract

In these days, as a method of evaluating synthetically the expense and the cost of the construction, the maintenance, repair, and renewal of an engineering-works road structure. From which the concept of assets management (infrastructure valuation of assets and management) has come to attract attention, in order to cope with a subject called optimization of the maintenance, repair, and renewal of a road engineering-works from now on.
In order to build such a system, the monitoring of the performance of a road structure and a functional level are required. The precision photogrammetry technique was used and it was shown that the efficient monitoring of a road structure is possible. Moreover, in the tunnel with traffic, the actual proof experiment was conducted and it checked actually functioning.

View full abstract

In this paper, an economic evaluation methodology of projects is presented, which explicitly incorporates economic loss of project delay. In many projects, the implementation timing is typically regulated by uncontrollable social and political factors. In our model, the political risks are characterized by the probabilities of project delay. The real option model is formulated to determine the optimal investment rules when the implementing timing of the project is uncertain and exogenously determined by political risks. The economic loss caused by project delay can be mea sured by calculating option values.

View full abstract

An attempt is made to evaluate performance of concrete practices in terms of quality using relationship among three factors: concrete practice scores, influential degree of concrete practice to concrete properties, and important degree of concrete properties in concrete structures. Results show that performance of concrete practices in five public building projects in Thailand was neither excellent nor disastrous. Typical problems were in the curing process, both in delay in curing and insufficient curing periods. For column, the separation problem due to placing process was also serious. It seems that concrete practice may be much improved with minor attention.
External coordination problem among parties is a most serious managerial problem perceived by practitioners.
Fundamental reasons for poor practice are lack of proper knowledge and low beliefs in the benefits of observing standard. Thus, concrete practice training programs are effective to improve knowledge and enhance concerns of practitioners, particularly headman. Strong beliefs, high levels of concern and sufficient knowledge of players, together with more systematic concrete practice procedures provided by managerial levels are keys for better quality practice.

View full abstract

It is necessary to evaluate uncertainty so as to improve accountability for project evaluation. Existing researches have examined the ex-post evaluation technique or the evaluation at the time of adoption. However, there is a grate difference between these evaluation values and the value of ex-ante evaluation. Therefore, sensitivity analysis should be carried out to do ax-ante project evaluation.
In this paper, a basic consideration for the cost management of project is done from the view of ex-ante evaluation. Methodology of sensitivity analysis in the ex-ante project evaluation so as to evaluate uncertainty is proposed. Numerical simulation of sensitivity analysis is also presented.

View full abstract

In the United Kingdom, departments and agencies are successfully undertaking a new construction procurement system with some approaches such as Public Private Partnership, Design and Build, Prime Contracting and Partnering. The common concept of these approaches is co-operative working among client, designers, contractor, sub-contractors and suppliers for a better construction performance. National Audit Office also considers that such approaches may be effective in the public works. However, those new approaches are different from the traditional system in Japan. This paper is aimed to clarify what is the new construction procurement system in the UK At first, new approaches are reviewed, including the example of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link which is the largest PFI project in the UK. Then, Partnering which is regarded a core part of the new system and the payment mechanism for Partnering are clarified through consideration on the concept and content of them. Finally, the lessons learned from the new system and the possibility of its introduction to Japan are considered.

View full abstract

The report issued by Sir Michael Latham in 1994, insisted that acceptance of the lowest price bid did not provide good value for money in either the final cost of construction or the whole life costs in the United Kingdom. And this report contained recommendations to achieve a better construction performance. Then, government and construction industry have implemented new various procurement approaches and construction management techniques. If such efforts in the UK are effective in improving the construction performance, it will demonstrate that traditional methods of procuring and managing projects are not the only suitable way for public works. Our study on the construction performance in the UK is focused on this viewpoint. In this paper, the history and results of activities to improve the construction performance are reviewed, and the differences between traditional methods and new ones in the UK are also considered.

View full abstract

Recently, there are some infrastructure projects by PFI, but almost these projects are relatively small scale. However, in future, it is considered that PFI method is used for some transportation planning. On these projects, it is important to have an economical analysis, so that we may confirm whether these projects managements work well. On the other hand, it is regard that the external costs of road transport (air-pollution, noise, accident etc.) are important.
This research investigates the benefits on the LRT planning by PFI considering the social benefit, and we make a benefit measurement model and estimate this model. PFI has two typical methods, and we make a comparative study

View full abstract

Public procurement using PFI method has enjoyed growing demand in the current years. Although PFI basically can be basically characterized by private initiative, government supportshould be taken into considerationf or uncertaintyt hat privates ector could not hold.
This paper did survey on several government supports, such as grant, shadow toll, etc., and developed discussion in evaluating them as “real options.” The arguments are that the support can be decomposed into call or put options held by both government and private sectors. Then, option pricing theory can be applied to evaluate the value of option. The paper also referred to the effect of support from improvement in cash-flow expectation and reduction in its variance. By considering this, it was discussed that government support should be implemented by considering the characteristics of cash-flow profile of individual PFI projects.

View full abstract

In recent years, more and more soil contamination investigation and remediation (referred to as “Environmental Restoration Business” from now on) projects are reported in Japan. However, though it is still a new business in Japan, its features such as high investment and high risk to remediate contaminants in subsurface are being realized by more and more people. More attentions have been paid to a new management module, CM module which was introduced from America and used for management of construction business. CM module has features of transparency, cost-effective, client support etc., and several implemented examples have been reported. This research was conducted to investigate if using CM module in environmental restoration business can reduce these risks.
It is concluded though many aspects are not resolved yet, using the CM module in the management of the environmental restoration business is recommended. It is pointed out that the management should comply with the active attitude and activities of the clients, and using CM module in Japan have to consider present Japanese situation.

View full abstract

Risk and its allocation is the most important factor for achieving value for money in PFI projects. In this paper, the concept and definition of the ‘Risk’ in PFI and its allocation between the procurer and project company are reviewed and discussed. Based on the definitions and examples, the appropriate risk allocation and how to achieve it in a competitive bidding process are proposed.

View full abstract

Progress Payment, in which contractors are paid at intervals based on work performed and incorporating agreed variation orders, is designed to ensure smooth and rapid currency circulation and to develop higher quality construction through closer relations between the employer and the contractor.
Two initial trial projects that adopted this payment syste m were monitored in fiscal 2001. The closer employer-contractor relations improved the variation order process. However, an increase in clerical work was identified. Further trials are recommended to seek more effective and efficient procedures for applying this kind of payment system.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

Now, In China, economic systems are changing from planned economy to market economy. Just then, China happened to join WTO. These economical circumstances are obliged Chinese construction industry to break away from a their traditional policy of managing. Chinese economy has a high growth under the stimulus of those changing. Investment in facility and infrastructure is brisk. In this current situation, Chinese construction management system is looking forward to international system. The bid system became one important part of new system. But, various problems are happened in transition.
This paper is made through the introduction of Chinese bid system that include content, process, management, etc, investigation and analyzing of the present of the Chinese construction surrounding, discussion on the problems of bid system, suggestion compare with Japanese bid system.

View full abstract

In order to maintain a large amount of the social infrastructure appropriately and toprovide a steady supply of it, we have to promote improvement in much more accountability, and management ofthe social infrastructure effectively. And for that, it is necessary to grasp the quantity and the state of the infrastructure stock exactly, and evaluating them appropriately.
In order to respond to these subjects, this paper shows that it is required for management of social infrastructure to build the “infrastructure accounts” which took in the business-accounting-viewpoint. Furthermore, since it is indispensable to construction of “infrastructure accounts” to evaluate the quantity and the state of a social infrastructure stock appropriately, we classified the subject in the present social infrastructure stock data, and tried to estimate the stock amount, based on the ledger etc., and clarified the future subject

View full abstract

Recently, many kinds of notices arc posted in the construction filed for informing the construction project. We try to make clear how people are thinking about construction project and those notices through the picture frustration test (P-F test). The P-F test at the field of psychology is said to be able to survey person's depth thinking. As the result of the survey in Nagoya city, people have no good feeling for the construction scene. The reason of the feeling is the discredit of necessity of construction projects. The construction project should inform people about the purpose and operation through the notice of construction filed and the other opportunity.

View full abstract

The affairs on investment for construction in Japan were characterized in terms of the amount of structures that have been constructed. Consumption of cement was proposed as an index for the amount of structures constructed. The current amount of consumption of cement, its change and the accumulation in each country were obtained and those in Japan were compared. It was found that the current amount of investment for construction in Japan and its accumulation are much larger than in European and American developed countries. That is mainly due to the economic growth in Japan was later than in European and American developed countries. However, the peak value of the consumption kept over 30 years in Japan and that was a typical phenomenon only in Japan. On the other hand, it was found that the current amount of investment in Japan was not so large compared with Asian developing countries and that the accumulation in those countries was so small compared with that in Japan. The share of the amount of the investment these 30 years was quite large in Japan compared with European and American developed countries and it was concluded that the increase of the demand for the maintenance and repair of structures would be increased dramatically in the near future.

View full abstract

The amount of the consumption of ready-mixed concrete was defined as the index for the amount of the structures constructed. The regional difference in the amount of the investment for construction in Japan was characterized in terms of the amount of the structures constructed, that is, the amount of consumption of ready-mixed concrete. The relationship between the population density and the amount of the consumption of ready-mixed concrete per unit area in each prefecture in Japan was revolved by linear formula and the correlation was higher than the relationship between the population and the consumption of ready-mixed concrete in each prefecture. The intercept and the inclination of the linear relationship were proposed as the indices for the characteristics of the investment for construction.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is that firstly the problem for making knowledge-intensive of the construction industry is examined, and then the contract form and risk management in putting especially is focused. It is required to be based for making knowledge-intensive, because this makes the construction industry develop itself and can contribute to the society.
To begin with, the fundamental problem for evolving to the knowledge-intensive construction industry is examined. Here, the actual situation of the construction industry from the viewpoint of the knowledge-intensive side is outlined, and next, the fundamental problem for evolving to knowledge-intensive is examined and is extracted.
From the inside of the fundamental problem, “contract form and risk management” is taken up as one in which the priority is the highest for making knowledge-intensive.

View full abstract

We analyzed accident data at construction work sites and examined the processes and contributing factors for communication errors. Of 800 accidents at construction work sites, 50 accidents involving communication errors were analyzed using Variation Tree Analysis, and 60 communication errors were found. These communication errors could be classified into five patterns, personal judgment, equipment fault, planning fault (these three patterns were included in the faulty intention and message pattern), inadequate channel pattern, and faulty comprehension pattern, by using the process model of communication. The contributing factors associated with these five patterns of communication errors were found and classified from the variation nodes and the explanation sections on the variation trees. These results suggested that each pattern had different features concerning the contributing factors of communication errors. Finally, we proposed human factors measures to prevent communication errors based on those patterns.

View full abstract

Questionnaire surveys of near-miss accidents to students of about 300, who newly entered into the Institutes within two years, were carried out and causes of potential accidents were obtained. The questionnaire was focused on human factors, equipments or facilities and working procedures. Incident frequencies of types, features of incidents were firstly analyzed, and then psychological state of students suffering near-miss accidents was discussed based on these data. Characteristics of behavioral patterns of unskilled or young workers and features of a mind-and-body function were found out.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to give an example of market-based Construction Management Course Content for Japanese Higher Education Institutions. The study was mainly conducted based on results from questionnaire surveys. The data collected from the surveys was classified into four (4) segments; government offices, consultants, general contractors and specialized contractors. The study revealed that each segment had unique needs as regards the content of construction management courses. Thirty (30) items of important Construction Management Course Content were sorted out and a strategic method of organizing a course syllabus for a Construction Management Course was proposed.

View full abstract

In this study, the total volume of garbage per year is estimated by the possibilistic regression analysis using the consumption expenditures of households as the independent variables. At the same time, the fuzzy quantification theory I is used to estimate which expenditures affect the total volume of CO₂ emissions due to garbage. In Nagano city, the garbage collection system have changed over the years. Therefore, numeric value between 0 and 1 were assigned to the garbage collection systems and used as the fuzzy measure. The fuzzy partial correlation coefficients between the total amount of CO₂ emissions and expenditures show that the groups of goods such as vegetables or confectioneries affect the amount of CO₂ emissions, while household goods such as furniture do not have much of an effect.

View full abstract

Recently, The garbage problem has become aggravated. This Problem includes that the capacity of waste treatment plants is not only insufficient, but also the global warming is caused by carbon dioxide emission. This research investigates the garbage volume and CO2 emission reduction in Nagano city using households survey data. A life cycle inventory analysis is employed to represent the relation between the CO2 emission and household expenditures. At the same time, the forecasting model of the garbage volume is also estimated by using a possibilistic regression model. And using these models, as restrains on CO2 emission, the garbage volume is estimated.

View full abstract

At the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster in 1995, many problems have occurred so that emergency and recovery activities have been disturbed by traffic congestion.
Because a large amount of buildings and houses have been destroyed in this earthquake, environmental problem and accident have occurred to process the debris.
However, the prevention plan proposed by individual local government may scarcely describe the countermeasure for this kind of problem. At the large-scale earthquake disaster like the Tokai Earthquake that it is likely to break out, it is requisite to introduce the region-wide mutual coordination across the municipal boundaries. This study proposes an emergent distribution method of debris based on the road network and the demand forecast of the debris quantity. Moreover, this study proposes the support system on region-wide mutual coordination among municipalities at the large-scale earthquake disaster.

View full abstract

Heavy rainfall is one of the biggest natural hazards to cause serious failure of infrastructure. The collapse of slopes along roads is a typical example, since it causes the serious damage to national life such as the loss of human lives, the interruption of road services and so on. This paper deals with risk evaluation of slopes along Japan national road, which have been classified as instable ones in preliminary inspection. Finally, the results show that the adoption of risk as an index will be recommended, since it provides comprehensive information by considering socio-economic losses caused by rainfall.

View full abstract

In this study, we proposed a group of indices and a procedure for evaluating the impacts and priorities of the road improvement in the local and mountainous areas. That was developed in terms of the existed indices, the summarized characteristics and the voices of the residents of the local and mountainous area. As a result, it brought us to make a proper evaluation on the road improvement planning instead of what we had done that by the index of the cost-benefit analysis, which is considered as the standard.
Further we achieved an evaluation of the road improvement plans as a case study by applying the evaluation indices and procedure to the 4 routs and 8 sections in the Hida Area which is the objective area of Takayama National Road Wolk Office. Evaluators in the study are the staff of Takayama National Road Work Office, the residents, the members of the project team, and the experts of various areas

View full abstract

This paper introduces the actual works of the landscape design contributing to the mutual understanding between the local community and the contractor. The collaboration of the Construction Management Section and the Engineering Section of the general contractor made it possible. In addition, the Landscape Design Section was established. The section has the ability of designing and planning to provide the community with the better quality of life.
The Comprehensive Engineering Management System completed based on the trinity of these three sections has also played an important role for the works.

View full abstract

Recently, in order to get quality of public constructions, total quality management by coordination with local govemment agencies, construction companies and construction consultants is required. But it is hard for them to coordinate each other in existing circumstances. Consequently, Yamanashi Branch of Kanto Chapter of JSCE held technical discussions of construction project, in which the members who belong to local government agencies, construction companies and construction consultants participate.
In this paper, we describe the outline of the technical discussions, the problems and the action assignment derived from the opinions of the technical discussions.

View full abstract

The introduction of the management system is necessary to maintain the service level of the infrastructure stock. But, it can't grapple with the introduction in the local government which possesses infrastructure of the majority in Japan from the various restrictions. Subjects in the introduction of the existent infrastructure management were put in order by this paper from the technology (hardware), the organization (software) and the side of the person (heart).

View full abstract