Developing an early phase decision support tool for the client owner in the engineering construction sector

The identification of the factors that lead to the selection of the construction method is crucial to make a structured decision. There is currently a lack of modern decision support tool for the EC sector that is able to match the changing client needs, cope with the growing complexity of the contemporary market, and keep pace with recently developed innovations and the technologies. This dissertation initially identifies the significant variables, drivers and constraints for the adoption of modularisation over traditional stick-build construction in the engineering construction (EC) sector. Previous research has briefly investigated this, but the uniqueness of this work is the development of an early-phase decision tool to support the client/owner during the selection of the construction method. The research methodology adopted a mixed approach, combining various quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, including interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. Drivers and constraints for the adoption of modularisation were identified. According to the factors influencing the decisional process gained from this data collection, a two level tool, strategic level and pre-feasibility level, was developed.