An association rule mining model for the application of construction technologies during COVID-19

COVID -19 impedes construction productivity, increases costs and delays the project schedule, disrupts health and safety regulations, and reduces profit margins. To flatten the COVID -19 curve and continue operations amid the pandemic, construction companies are digitising construction activities, processes and procedures using technology. This article reports on a study examining the use of construction technologies by Nigerian surveyors through a questionnaire. The questionnaires were sent to more than 300 surveying firms based on snowballing technique. Association rule mining (ARM) was used to model the correlations between the different construction technologies. A total of 91 association rules were identified using 6 measurement matrices. The first 30 rules are presented in this study. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the sustainability and post-pandemic redesign of surveying practise in terms of repositioning service delivery. The findings are of interest to solution and technology providers to meet market demand. From an ontological perspective, the key findings of this study can be applied to surveying practise in and outside Nigeria and to other professionals in the construction sector. The implication is that construction technologies in the Nigerian construction sector are still in their infancy.

Disputes and Claim Management during the COVID-19 Crisis: The Lessons Learned

The COVID-19 crisis has presented the construction sector with challenges that the world has never seen before. Productivity is down, costs have increased, conflicts and claims are increasing, delays are high, health and safety practices are increasing, and profit margins have been reduced. The challenges require unprecedented, sudden, and unplanned changes to construction management practices and strategies. Through an open-ended survey questionnaire, this research investigated how COVID-19 causes disputes in construction projects and the measures that quantity surveying firms take to resolve the disputes in construction contracts due to the pandemic. The data revealed that disputes and claims have increased by some 80% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the data revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased project costs by more than 40%. Shortages of materials, compliance with standard operating procedures, social distance, fluctuation, and shortages of labor are the causes of disputes. Unlike prior to the COVID-19 crisis, disputes are not caused by variations, ambiguous contract clauses, mistakes, errors, and competencies of the parties to the contracts. To resolve COVID-19-induced claims, contract clauses, negotiations, conciliation, trust management, and contingency provisions are the most effective. This research provides new information on claim management during a crisis. From an ontological standpoint, the main findings of this study are generalizable to construction projects in and outside of Nigeria. © 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.