Decision-Aid Frameworks for Earned Value Measurement or Assessment by the Construction Contract Engineer

Abstract

Construction project controls is a process that is concerned with attempting to complete the contracted works within the allocated time frame and the preagreed budget, all in accordance with the set quality standards. To this end, the earned value management (EVM) method is recognized as a well-established technique offering an integrated approach for the efficient monitoring and controlling of the project’s cost and schedule targets during the course of execution. That said, this research aimed at investigating several decision-aid frameworks that can systematically guide the construction contract engineer in making the EVM tool better accustomed and suited for exercising project control and administrating construction contracts, while making use of and benefiting from the enhanced capabilities of the technique that are widely spread in the archived literature. To this effect, the adopted multistep methodology included (1) the verification of the degree of importance of project controls in relation to project success, (2) the classification of the shortcomings reported to be encumbering EVM’s employability as a project controls tool, and (3) the compilation and synthesis of the encountered improvements. The main research outcomes further involved developing several EVM-based frameworks, which shall be of value to the engineer, through stipulating an integrated set of methods and metrics used for (1) checking the analytical schedule-based S-curve submitted by the contractor, (2) dealing with interim payment valuations and certifications, and (3) forecasting and updating the remaining duration for the construction project on hand. Finally, the related requirements to be met by contractors and the types of authority to be entrusted with the engineer are summarized for facilitating the employability of the proposed frameworks, thereby potentially minimizing the likelihood of conflicts and disputes to arise between owners and contractors on construction projects.