A two-level programming method for collaborative scheduling in construction supply chain management

There are increasing requirements for collaborative scheduling (CS) in supply chain management (SCM). CS in construction supply chain (CSC), which involves multiple partners, such as general contractor, subcontractors, and material suppliers, can be seen as a multilevel decision-making system with hierarchical structure. Adopting the decomposition-coordination thought of large scale system theory and using the multilevel programming theory, a two-level programming model for CS decision making is established to find satisfactory solution for every partner in CSC. This model has the merit of paying attention to the maximization of profit or minimization of cost of all partners located at different decision-making level in CS process. The algorithm of this model is provided, which is combined with the first level programming adopting simulated annealing algorithm and second level programming using discrete search algorithm. Finally, an illustrative example of CS in a CSC is presented. The two-level programming method provides a new way to improve collaborative decision making in CSC. This research makes a contribution to the body of knowledge of scheduling.