Augmented process model for e-tendering: Towards integrating object models with document management systems

The management of the construction industry is exponentially increasing in complexity since it has to deal with highly fragmented, complex and unique combinations of business relations, communications and processes. Each phase in the construction cycle requires effective communication/sharing of information/knowledge as well as coordination among project participants and stakeholders, thus leading to timing and technical content transfer enhancements and/or problems as well as related efficiency and/or profitability loss. Recent advances in the Information and Communication Technology (ICE) are considered essential and promising in improving sharing/exchange of project information as well as communication among construction industry stakeholders whilst reducing associated costs and time. One facet of such advances in ICT is evident from the proactive indulgement of the construction supply chain in collaborative extranets. Extranets are able to capture the supply chain communication practices and provide a controlled communication hub as well as document management databases with all ICT enhanced features. In parallel, the construction industry has recognized the importance of sharing and exchanging project information across the supply chain through project integrated databases. However, such advancements in the ICE utilisation in construction industry were unable to develop a system that exchanges/shares project information, at the element level, over a well defined matrix of communication that can also integrate into the business processes of the members of supply chain. The objective of this study is to highlight the needs to bridge this gap through the development of an augmented process model which will enable integrated databases to support collaborative extranets at the Tender stage. This paper will discuss the features, limitation and nature of the process and information models which can be integrated into the core business processes of the construction supply chain members. This is basically achieved by investigating the communication processes and information exchanged across the supply chain during the construction tendering phase. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.