> Conceptual procurement framework for Building Information Mo...
Conceptual procurement framework for Building Information Modelling uptake to enhance buildings' sustainability performance in the Jordanian public sector
Mohammad Alhusban
Jordan faces a variety of challenges, because of the lack of natural resources such as oil and water, and then combined with its rapid urbanisation and a significantly growing population due to cultural, economic and political reasons such as recurring forced immigration from neighbouring countries over the past 69 years. It imports 96.5% of its energy needs, equal to 83% of the total export gains. Buildings have been recognised as a significant consumer of natural resources as it represents nearly 70%, of the construction work in Jordan and accounts for 33% of the total energy consumption in the country. Public building projects in Jordan are vital to the building sector as the government is the major client and key mover for the construction buildings sector. However, a large portion of the public building projects in Jordan suffers from sustainability performance issues. Therefore, greening the public sector building becomes a key target and favourable option for the government.
Many studies have identified Building Information Modeling as one of the most promising approaches in terms of facilitating sustainable solutions and meeting the global need for sustainable buildings. The regulatory frameworks and in particular procurement approaches have been identified as a significant factor of the success of BIM implementation on building projects. However, there have been no precedent studies on BIM and the effect of procurement approaches on BIM uptake in the Jordanian context and typology of public building projects. Therefore, this research aims to develop a procurement framework to encourage the implementation of BIM in the Jordanian public sector for better sustainable building performance. In order to achieve the aim, this research firstly conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the importance of delivering sustainable public building projects in Jordan. Then, an investigation on the impact of adopting BIM on the design and delivery of sustainable building projects, and the impact of public procurement approaches on the uptake of BIM and delivery of sustainable buildings were undertaken. Subsequently, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were distributed and conducted to investigate the current practice and common issues regarding BIM implementation in the Jordanian public building sector and the impact of the currently adopted procurement approaches on BIM implementation. Finally, a BIM-friendly procurement framework was developed based on the findings and was validated through semi-structured interviews with tender managers, project managers, BIM managers and construction managers working in the public building sector in Jordan.
This study has confirmed the need for BIM implementation in the public building sector in Jordan because of the several potential benefits including sustainability enhancement of new building projects. This study also found that procurement approaches have a significant impact on BIM implementation and sustainability outcomes in the Jordanian public building sector in which more integrated procurement approaches have further potential for effective BIM implementation to achieve sustainable buildings. However, changing the traditional procurement approach for a collaborative one would be faced with many legal, cultural and technical issues. Therefore, the developed procurement framework was based on the traditional procurement approach. This framework aims to provide several solutions to overcome the barriers associated with the traditional procurement approach, and it facilitates the implementation of BIM, thus enhancing the sustainability performance of the new Jordanian public buildings. Finally, the procurement framework was validated as suitable and a good stepping stone towards better BIM implementation and achieving sustainability.
The content of this research should be of interest to public clients, and their consultants and contractors dealing with procurement and BIM implementation issues. It should also be of interest to researchers in the field as it provides a basis for future research and fills a knowledge gap in the area of BIM implementation and procurement issues to enhance the buildings' sustainability performance in the Jordanian public sector.
Dr Salam Al-Bizri (Supervisor)