Prioritizing Construction Risks Using Fuzzy AHP in Brazilian Public Enterprises

Abstract

Risks capable of impacting project objectives are intrinsic to the construction industry. Effective risk analysis has key importance to professionals concerned with construction goals, especially in public enterprises, given the amount of money invested and the demand for modern infrastructure. Therefore, this study aims to identify the main public construction risks and present a practical fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model to prioritize these risks in Brazilian public enterprises. The model is divided into three steps: (1) risk identification and development of the risk breakdown structure, (2) pairwise comparisons, and (3) risk prioritization. Throughout the case study, 54 risks were identified, which were organized into eight categories. The major risk in the Brazilian scenario was “difficulty in environmental licensing.” Although this study focused on a specific context, its methodology provides a reliable and practical framework that can be adjusted to various construction projects worldwide to assess risks. Additionally, the identified risks can provide sound guidance to practitioners globally, because their elicitation was based on studies concerning different countries.