trends_brazilian_design_project_management_revisão_3

8/6/2019 Trends_Brazilian_design_project_management_Reviso_3

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TRENDS FOR DESIGN AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN THE

BRAZILIAN BUILDING INDUSTRY

Leonardo Melhorato Grilo, M. Eng. 1

Silvio Burrattino Melhado, Dr. Eng. 2

1 Ph.D. Candidate. Escola Politcnica da Universidade de So Paulo. Av. Prof. Almeida Prado, trav2. Zip Code 05508-900. So Paulo. Brazil. Phone: +55 11 3091-5459. Fax: +55 11 3091-5544. E-mail: [email protected] Associate Professor. Escola Politcnica da Universidade de So Paulo. Dept. of CivilConstruction Eng. Av Prof. Almeida Prado, trav 2. Zip Code 05508-900. So Paulo, Brazil.Phones: +55 11 3091-5794; Fax: +55 11 3901-5544. E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The Brazilian building industry has suffered significant changes due to the continual transformationof the economic, social, institutional and political scenarios in the last decade. The bargainingpower of owners, threat of foreign entrants, rivalry among competitors and low profit margins havemodified the intensity of competition, imposing a lot of pressure on design and construction firms.

This paper discusses some trends for design and project management in the Brazilian buildingindustry. Data gathering consisted of semi-structured interviews applied to 41 designers,contractors and project managers in So Paulo. Firms selection criteria considered business skills,management practices, production organization methods and technological innovations.

The research highlighted some trends for the private sector: popularization of alternativeprocurement methods, such as the design-build; increasing use of qualifications and negotiationsinstead of competitive bids; demand for single point of responsibility; anticipation of design and

production integration; and development of design competences in construction companies.Keywords: building construction, design, management, contracts, quality.

1. TRENDS FOR DESIGN AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPEDCOUNTRIES

A research carried out in 10 Western countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, United Kingdom,Belgium, Italy, France, United States, Canada and Germany) identified trends for the productionorganization in civil construction in the first decade of the 21 st century. Although research focusedon the reality of developed countries, some trends provide a reference for the Brazilian constructionindustry (BORDEAU, 1994): demand for global construction services; project customizationaccording to the owner requirements; cooperation as a substitute of the rivalry relationships;

changes in the roles and responsibilities of project players; extensive involvement of owners; anduse of multiple contract types in a same project.

The Association of General Contractors conducted a survey with construction executives fromselected Fortune 500 companies. The study highlighted notable changes in the following areas(MULVEY, 1998): projects are more complex and sophisticated; owners do not want to committheir capital until the last moment possible; clients practice quality in their own industries, and theyexpect it of the building team; clients are aware that value does not necessarily mean lowest price;early integration of design and build; many owners no longer want to handle multiple contractswith consultants; focus on project performance as a whole, rather than on singular interests.

A client in a major pharmaceutical company pointed out (PSMJ, 2001): Our company is not in thebusiness of engineering. We make products to sell to consumers. His expectations for architecture

and engineering firms included: leadership; management; problem solving; clear communications;contract understanding; schedule control; lead time reduction; truthful reports; quality;


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commitment; site attendance; and proactive attitude.

The complexity of client requirements and the competitive environment have stimulated theadoption of alternative procurement methods, redefined project players roles in many countries. InGermany, the contractors have integrated designer and, sometimes, owner roles. In spite of their

qualifications, the role of designers has been commonly assigned to other project players (SYBEN,2000). Contractors are integrating project and construction activities in England, where architectstraditionally play the role of designer and project manager. Architects substitution in the projectteam can be partly explained by their deficient communication with owners, aspect in whichproject managers and contractors have a better prospectus (HOWELL; HARDCASTLE, 1996).

The architects have been accused of abandoning their responsibilities with the project team in theUnited States, where owners no longer assign the designers as team leaders (WEINGARDT, 1996).The short involvement of architects in the technical definitions and site production is also criticizedin France. Some professionals believe that their role in the project concerns creativity only(MELHADO; HENRY, 2001), although even owners who want a dream have been increasinglydominated by schedule and budget limitations (ALLINSON, 1997).

Gray; Hughes (2001) recognized changes in architects and engineers roles in the United Kingdom:emergence of new professions; redefinition in the traditional roles; loss of architect authority toproject managers and specialized consultants; designers are required to become generalists withless control over details; multiple control of the whole design and construction process; complexand restrictive fee agreements; and a wide variety of sophisticated procurement techniques tointegrate design and construction.

2. TRENDS FOR DESIGN AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN BRAZIL

With a population close to 170 million people and a GDP around US$650 billion, Brazil has thelargest domestic market in Latin America. Regardless of the criteria, the Brazilian economy hasconsistently been placed among the 10 biggest economies in the world, behind the major sixindustrialized economies (US, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Italy). Brazil is also

the second largest economy in Americas. Located in the Brazilian southeast, So Paulo is thecountrys most important city and it has the 3rd biggest population in the world, behind Tokyo andMexico City. With regard to the Brazilian civil construction, So Paulo is the most important site.It has about 5.7 million square meters of new buildings built annually.

In seventies, foreign investments induced significative growth rates in Brazil, which lead to theimplementation of large infrastructure projects and to the development of a world-class industry inspecific sectors such as heavy construction. In eighties, public expenditures and growth rates wereseverely contained due to the shortage in foreign investments (lost decade). Contractors used toprocrastinate payments within suppliers to put their money in financial operations, which providedhigh daily profits considering monthly inflations rates up to 80 percent. Building constructionremained labor intensive and kept a track record of low productivity, lack of quality control and

high material wastage, which contributed to create a negative image within the public opinion.In the last decade, globalization and market openness, privatization of state owned enterprises,monetary stability, constraints in government expenditures, profit margins reduction andcustomers consciousness induced extensive changes in companies positioning in order to survivea competitive market. Efforts to improve quality, enhance productivity and reduce material wastageemerged as responses to overcome the obstacles and criticisms that plagued the industry. Somecompanies and segments have rapidly evolved, although improvements are not representative ofthe sector as a whole . Economic instability and high interest rates have posed additionaldifficultiesfor developers, contractors, investors and buyers to meet the demand on housing and infrastructure.Nonetheless, the civil construction sector represents nearly 14% of the Brazilian GDP.

Economical, social and political factors redefined relationships amongst project players and

modified the intensity of competition. Bargaining power of owners, threat of new entrants, rivalryamong competitors, presence of foreign companies and low profit margins are imposing a lot of


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pressure on architectural, engineering and construction firms. Different efforts to improve theindustry performance have been proposed and implemented: i) product and process technology:efforts to increase production efficiency and the use of manufacturing and site assembly processesrather than handcrafted and site-based methods; ii) design and project management:implementation of quality, environmental, health and safety management systems; iii) procurementroutes: adoption of innovative procurement routes, such as design-build, build-to-suit, constructionmanagement and build-operate-transfer.

Project managerial and technological complexity has stimulated the redefinition of functional andcontractual relationships between building industry players. Interviews with 42 industrypractitioners in So Paulo (18 architects; three project managers; three design managers; twodevelopers; and 16 engineers) pointed out trends for design and project management in the privatesector. The selection criteria took into account firms reputation, portfolio and prominence, in termsof business skills, management practices, production organization methods and technologicalinnovations. The questionnaires used in the interviews encompassed open and closed questionsregarding design and project management issues. Data analysis involved three sequential stages:selection: analysis of individual reports and compilation of relevant data in a general report;

classification: data organization in categories, allowing the identification of generic trends; andsynthesis: data analysis and organization in sets of specific trends.

2.1. Project managerial and technological complexity

The requirements of private and public owners have become more complex in the last years. Realestate companies, developers and investors face construction almost as a necessary evil. The timelycompletion of a facility can be critical to the bottom line. If the construction or renovation of afacility unexpectedly extends, the investor can suffer significant losses.

The management of multidisciplinary teams requires an extensive effort from project managers. Onthe other hand, personalized briefs and contract types require customized solutions from designersand contractors. Owner organizations can have diverse interlocutors (investors, users and facility

managers) with different requirements, like in build-to-suit, where design changes and scheduledeviations can affect the return on investment, since rent amounts are previously agreed on.

According to a contractor, a 20-million dollar plant in the Amazon forest was delivered in 160days. Air photos were the only input available. Prepared in 24 hours, the construction programmingwas limited to schedules. Delivery times shorter than 120 days, commonplace in the industrialsector, are usually linked to the machinery delivery time. Agreements often establish severeliquidated damages. Frequently, plans and specifications are concluded in 72 hours.

Instead of industry complexity and fragmentation, project players have not demonstrated anequivalent concern about commercial relationship formalization, assigning outstanding risks to theteam members. A large number of projects is lauched without a signed contract or a lettercontaining preliminary informations to authorize construction start-up. Sometimes, agreements are

signed shortly before project closeout. When contracts are finally signed up, there is a large amountof divergences between project players. Often, those differences are not solved, especially whenowners and contractors have a long-term relationship.

Design has also become a very complex process. Even in simple projects, responsibilities aredistributed to various specialists, who assume a small fraction of the entire design. Data is usuallycomplementary and dependent on other designers input, which causes multiples interferences.Some interfaces are subtle and hard to anticipate, even by experienced coordinators. Frequentlyfound during construction, change orders require time-consuming negotiations. While interactionbetween architects and structure engineers seems quite obvious, precisely defining the role of aHVAC consultant and a fire protection engineer in a data center can be a hard task to accomplish.

Brazilian architects turned very dependent on waterproofing, fire protection and faades

consultants data. Since waterproofing requirements have an evident impact on finishing details,architects put a lot of pressure on construction managers. Architects reinforce the directive role of


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exposed a project to serious risks in So Paulo, due to delays in the design delivery: In a certainstage of construction, the contractor was a slab behind the design. They were designing the slababove and pouring the concrete in the slab below. There was an awful despair. We had to hire Iguess all the structural engineers specialized in prestressed concrete in So Paulo.

Equally, contractors selection must take into consideration the following aspects: Size andportfolio. How compromised is the firm, taking its size into account? Does it have a team or someteams? Does it have an experienced team in that specific project? Are they available? Have theypreviously worked on a supermarket project? Therefore, they can deal with it easily. Additionally,we take into consideration the firm financial capacity, business operations and conformity withinsurance requirements.

Improvement in client and supplier relationship could be identified, especially in the private sector.Owners are conscious that value does not necessarily mean the lowest price. However, competitivebiddings have been largely used, mainly by public agencies, due to statutory impositions andconservative interpretations of the legislation.

2.4. Construction management popularization in the private sector

Private owners have preferred construction management due to project complexity, antagonisticrelationship between contractors and designers, lack of managerial capabilities in architecturalfirms and lack of trust in the contractors. Construction management has not been recognized as aprofession, but as afunction. Architects or engineers, assigned by a firm or working alone, usuallyact as construction managers. Construction manager capability in Brazil lacks programsrecognizing it, as well as a specific emphasis within Architecture and Engineering courses.

Deficiencies in construction insurance system and limited financial capacity have narrowed theconstruction managers scope of services. Construction managers usually act as mediators betweencontractors and designers on behalf of the owner. Contractors generally assume most risks.Construction management at risk is uncommon, since mostly small firms provide the services. Thescope of work varies according to the contract type, although construction managers usually

monitor the project budget, schedule and quality, contractor conformity with agreements,subcontractors and suppliers contracting and prepare timely notice to the owner.

There is a large amount of firms dealing with construction management, which generates asignificant variability in the scope of work and in the results obtained: In Brazil, the Projectmanagement Institute is trying to certify construction management firms. It is also trying toformalize procedures and certify the professionals. There are too many professionals in themarket. A construction manager mentioned a curious situation: An owner contacted us, sayingthat he wanted results, efficacy. I do not want paper. I want results. The clients attitude can beunderstood, seeing that work procedures and scope are not uniform. Scope of work variability hasreflected on designers and contractors perception about construction managers, althoughprofessional inclinations and interests have to be considered: In fact, he does not do anything. He

is a mediator. He is a technical representative of the owner.It is quite difficult for architects to acknowledge construction managers leadership. An architectinterviewed gives a subtle example of the antagonistic relationship in the project, although thereseems to be a mutual respect among team members: The only thing they do is Im having quitea good relationship with him and Im not having any trouble At the beginning, he disturbs thearchitects work concerning schedule. Construction manager attitude and technical competencewere criticized: They are unqualified auditors. This is a serious problem. They do not havetechnical skills to do what they want to. Theyre terrible in scheduling. They do not make plans.Maybe it was bad luck. But I dont think so, because it is one of the largest firms in the market.

Some project managers centralize the information and inhibit the personal contact among teammembers. This attitude has been blamed on a contractor, accused of slowing down decision

making, rather than simplifying it: Whenever the management fails, it disturbs instead of helping,as decisions are not made and the work lags on. Construction managers requirements over


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designers usually exceed the scope of work agreed: Due to their culture, construction managersoften demand something from architects beyond the scope of the work contracted.

A design coordinator emphasized the value of construction management, since design quality hasdecreased and architects involvement in construction phase has been narrowed. Consequently,

construction managers requirements harm the architects interests. However, advantages attributedto construction management include: arbitration, impartiality, professionalism, relationshipformalization, communication of project requirements and technical mediation for the owner. Anarchitect highlighted the value added by the construction managers: They added a great value,especially in foreign firms. Architects complain about construction managers, because they requirequality, which has been left behind.

2.5. Demand for global construction services (design-build)

Design-build has become popular in the private sector, especially in commercial and industrialprojects. Owners have dismissed engineering in-house consultants and focused on organizationcore competences. Many owners do not want to get involved in project coordination, arbitrationand in the management of multiple contracts anymore. They are looking for a single source of

responsibility. Experienced clients typically use design-build in single and well-known briefs,especially in projects with schedule constraints. However, the method has been increasinglyadopted in educational and commercial buildings.

The interviews identified different factors that restrict the diffusion of design-build, such as:clients lack of trust; conflicting interests with construction managers, who influence contractorsselection in private projects; statutory constraints which inhibit the association between designersand contractors in the public sector; and, finally, the lack of design competences in constructionfirms. A construction manager stated: It is a role that contractors could perform. The contractorscannot perform this role and take on the design. They keep on taking solely the construction,leaving a gap to construction managers.

On the other hand, some construction firms have developed design competences and established

alliances with design offices, in order to control risks in lump sum contracts, focus onconstructibility issues and generate value to the clients. Design-build is very appealing due to thesingle point of contact. An architecture office partner stated: You cannot say design wasnt welldone or the price is not what I thought or it couldnt be built in this manner. Responsibilitiesare immediately assigned, when a first estimate is drawn up.

Partnerships between contractors and designers seem to add value to owners. During a bidding, aconstruction firm questioned the master plan regarding site zoning. It was noticed that site allowedthe construction of two additional towers. The construction firm assigned a distinguished architect,who prepared a schematic design. The bid was sent to the investor, who hired both the contractorand the designer: Certainly, the owner is going to profit much more than he had predicted. This iswhat I am talking about! Can you see how important it is for the designer to come along?

2.6. Loss of architects traditional leadership in design management

Architectss scope of work has been reduced due to their short involvement in management andcost control. The core competence in product development has not justified architects authority inthe project team anymore. As a result, activities traditionally carried out by architects have beentransferred to other team members, such as contractors and construction managers: Asarchitectural offices lost the leadership, we coordinate the design every time we participate in thispre-construction phase. Why? Since contractors have expertise and a concrete vision, they are oftenleading this process.

Likewise, the construction manager often undertakes the coordination, due to the lack of trustconcerning the architects coordination: Designers often fail in coordinating design, in such a way

that everything is solved before estimating is started. Thus, we decided to interfere in designcoordination and to involve an in-house professional. An architect criticized the construction


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documents quality and reinforced that the construction firm has undertaken design coordination anddetailing in many contracts.

A contractor criticized the architects detachment from management and cost control, focusing onaesthetics and functional issues: The architect does not want, at least most of them do not,

undertake the construction problems, learn about what is or not happening. It is the boring part. Thenice part is designing, creating, drawing and having someone else build. A contractor emphasizedthe advantages of designers supervision and criticized the culture of Brazilian architects: If thearchitect knows what he is doing, if he recognizes the importance of management and knows if ithas been done exactly as predicted I think he is likely to manage, because he is likely to keep upwith it and to verify if things have been done as planned, even to feedback his next design. But I donot think this exists in our culture.

According to a design coordinator, the lack of quality in the design partially justifies the entry offoreign offices: The quality of architectural design has dropped. The loss of quality left a gap forforeign offices to fill, and they bring higher quality project. Were becoming more and moreoutdated. Internally, firms are suffering from competition of specialized offices, which act in

particular market segments and undertake the entire project lifecycle. Those offices take advantageof cooperation among multidisciplinary teams working together in the same place.

Design has received influences from investors, tenants, real estate brokers and landscape architects.Therefore, it has to comply with owners expectations and to respect technical and economicalconstraints: Architects have got new responsibilities. Sometimes, they are huge. Sometimes it isalmost a submission to economical issues. Thus, there is a great ambiguity. It is an opportunity tooffer more and, at the same time, a constraint. Often seen as a limitation, it has to be seen asanother work method, rather than depreciation.

2.7. Integration of project lifecycle by construction firms

Some construction firms have adopted initiatives in order to provide a single source ofresponsibility, to control risks in lump sum contracts, to diversify the scope of work and to improve

the profitability, such as: partnerships and alliances with suppliers and designers; development ofcore competences in investment analysis and design management; adoption of a pre-constructionstage, in order to propose technical and economic options and conciliate quality, budget andschedule requirements; and a growing involvement in project financing and designconceptualization, conception and detailing: There is a great trend for those concentrations tooccur. It is something were trying to make. We have a partnership with various suppliers. Westarted to do the same with designers. When we win a bid, they come along with us. They win andundertake the design.

Due to increasing clients requirements, who do not solely seek the lowest price, but the best value,contractors had to redefine production, business and competition strategies. Some constructionfirms have analyzed their organizational structure, public image and market positioning, in order to

improve their competitiveness. An interview demonstrated the adaptation process of a largeconstruction firm to the new rules imposed by the competitive market:

We started in the public sector. The percentage of construction costs contracts, extensively used,did not stimulate improvement. We are losing market. Why? Medium-sized construction firms had

a leaner organization and disputed the same project types. Our operating expenses were very high.From rethinking the organization of the enterprise, which needs to survive, engineering work gotstarted. We felt that it does not matter if you undertake everything. If you do not add value, you

cannot win. Price alone does not win contracts anymore.

In this context, construction firm survival demands flexibility and continuous adaptation to thechallenges of a competitive and turbulent environment, as well as: monitoring of competitors,identification of market segments, business opportunities and development of competences:

There is everything in bids: foreign and local investors, external construction managers. There is awide variety, because the market is not segmented in a specific niche. So, we actuate in distinct


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areas: industries, hotels, shopping centers, hospitals, offices and dwellings. The firm assembles

investors and distributes quotes in a bid. Thus, the investor purchases a story. If there is such a bid,the firm will participate. Thus, it could be you, or me who bought a story. Thus, there isnt a singleemphasis today. Firms cannot survive if they are to focus on a single segment.

2.8. Integration and cooperation among project team members

Projects usually involve organizations and professionals with particular culture, managerial styleand work procedures. Although information and telecommunication technologies allow aninstantaneous exchange of data and ideas, the physical isolation among team members can inhibitthe development of trust-based relationships, essential to achieve the project complex requirements.In brief, professionals responsible for design and construction technical and material support oftendo not know each other personally.

Discrepant information and design errors and omissions can give rise to: increase in service costs,extensive negotiations with owners, change in orders, excessive reworking and conflicts amongteam members. Damages could be assigned to the designer, contractor or construction manager oreven be undertaken by the owner. Construction claims are uncommon, which suggests a reasonable

conflict administration, excessive informality or owners complacence, since they are constantlypenalized with delays and overcosts. A contractor said: Simply, the owner always suffers withproject delay and overcost. If he quarrels, then the contractor is penalized. This interview subtlysuggests the lack of trust in the relationship between owners and contractors.

According to a construction firm director, clients and suppliers personal relationships are morevaluable than agreements. Construction trade quality depends strictly on personal relationship,which originates an additional difficulty to foreign construction firms, used to strict contracts.Contracts are barely employed in Brazil, where technical and commercial relationships areremarkably informal, unlike other countries, where project players rights and obligations are ruledby particular agreements.

Usually, contractors do not take part in the design inception. Contractors often raise objections to

the design, although they have not been involved in the briefing phase. Work relations depend onthe development of trust: The contractor has to believe in your design. You made a consciousdesign. And this design complies with client needs. Because contractors often do not take part inthe briefing, when the owners needs are defined, what they want, what they asked for, what thearchitect made, there must be a mutual trust between parts so that the project can be continued.

On the other hand, designers do not know how owners needs and expectations were transmitted tocontractors. So, they conclude that contractors look for errors and omissions in the design, in orderto demand additional resources or time extensions: And he will try to find errors in the design toprofit or to justify some delay or to knock you down. So, this relationship is complicated. Theowner ignores the impact of a late decision in the project schedule and budget, although he requiresmanagement and cost control: The client is the main source of problems. The client does not know

the time to change things. The client does not want the green tile anymore. He wants the blue oneand thinks that it is going to be timely done at the same cost. In general, the relationship betweenowners, contractors and designers falls short on trust, transparence and objectivity.

If designers and contractors respect each other, the opposed views of quality can be integrated,contributing to optimize technical solutions and clients satisfaction: This conflict is notnecessarily negative. If this conflict didnt exist, the project wouldnt succeed. Actually, thisconflict is not harmful, but technical conflicts that will generate technical solutions. They could bestimulating, if architects and engineers were not self-centered. An experienced architect pointedout the importance of cooperation: A project is composed of architects and engineers work.They have to work in harmony, it is impossible to work apart.

2.9. Low profit margins and difficult market positioning for design offices

Increased competition has undermined design offices profitability and market positioning.Competition tends to be pushed to the limit due to: presence of foreign competitors; assignment of


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designers traditional functions to other team members; and the unregulated opening of architectureand engineering schools. In addition, competitive bids in public projects, deficiencies in marketingpolicies, lack of barriers to entry and low profit margins have raised difficulties to offices survival.

Numerous interactions, fragmented responsibilities and owners complex requirements stress the

need of managerial competences in design offices. As a result of the focus in product development,designers were isolated from project financing, construction and administration. Currently,designers are very dependent upon information provided by specialists. The complexity in designmanagement required the development of integrating functions, commonly assigned to contractorsand construction managers.

Architectural offices scope of work has been reduced owing to the lack of adherence with ownerscost and time objectives. Aesthetics is not the most important requirement for clients, who presentstrict time and cost constraints. Architects coordination has been criticized, as well as the qualityof design. Local offices start to suffer with foreign competitors, multidisciplinary firms,construction managers and contractors.

The change in traditional responsibilities and the introduction of integrating functions have altered

the relationship between project players, which generated innovative functional and organizationalarrangements. Traditional solutions, considered lengthy, expensive and potentially antagonistic,have been replaced by alternative procurement methods. The typical roles of project players havebeen redefined. Functions usually assigned to architects, such as design coordination, have beentransferred to contractors and construction managers.

2.10. The implementation of quality management systems in design and construction firms

Construction firms and design offices have suffered with profit margins shortage and foreigncompetitors entry in particular market segments, such as office buildings, supermarkets, hotels andthematic parks. Large international firms exposed technical and organizational deficiencies of localcompanies, which lost market to more agile, customer-focused and cost-effective competitors.Therefore, the implementation of quality management systems has been seen as an alternative that

enables firms to obtain remarkable advantages in the competitive environment. Quality systemshave extensively influenced design and project management practices. Developers and constructorshave developed design coordination and suppliers evaluation procedures.

On the other hand, initiatives addressing quality improvements have been implemented in differentcountries. Frequently, public agencies actuate as inductors, requiring suppliers compliance withquality management standards. The Brazilian Quality and Productivity Program (PBQP-HABITAT, 1997), inspired on the Housing Quality Program of So Paulo State (QUALIHAB,1996), requires the certification of quality management system, based on the principle of gradualexigencies, as a requirement for constructors to take part in public bids. In August, 2002, anagreement involving the Company of Urban and Housing Development (CDHU), the HousingSecretariatand professional associations instituted the quality demonstration as a requirement for

designers participation in public projects.At present, 273 construction firms obtained quality management system certifications in Brazil: 28according to ISO 9001:1994; 175 to ISO 9002:1994; and 70 to ISO 9001:2000 (ABNT, 2003) 1. Inparallel, 1548 construction firms are compliant with PBQP-HABITAT requirements in the fourdifferent levels of exigency (D, C, B and A). Many Brazilian public agencies have implementedquality management systems, such as the Secretariat of Transportation, the Secretariat of Housingand Urban Affairs of Par State . According to the Brazilian National Society for Standardization(ABNT, 2003), 68 architectural offices, engineering firms and construction managers implementedquality management systems in compliance with ISO 9001:1994 standards; 51 with ISO9002:1994; and 41 with the ISO 9001:2001. These figures clearly ilustrate the dissemination ofquality management systems in Brazilian building construction industry.

1 Information gathered in http://www.abnt.org.br with access in February 10th, 2003.


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2.11. Conclusions

Private owners, especially in the industrial and commercial sectors, have dismissed in-houseconsultancy. Clients do not want to get involved in the management of multiple contracts and in thecoordination and arbitration between team members. The demand of shorter lead times has induced

the anticipation of construction bidding, contracting and inception. Frequently, the design isdetailed during the construction and involves contractors, trade contractors and suppliers.Construction firms have developed competences in design coordination to control risks regardingdesign activities in lump sum contracts and to offer single point of responsibility to the owners.

Competitive bids have been slowly replaced by negotiations and qualifications, carried out duringdesign development, schematic design or even in the briefing phase. Alternative procurementmethods, such as the design-build and construction management, have redefined the functional andcontractual relationships among team members. The architects scope of work has been limited dueto the emphasis on product development, instead of management and cost control, highly valued byowners. The design coordination appears as an independent function, more and more assigned tocoordinators, contractors and construction managers.

The innovations in project management and organization meet the clients needs and expectations:shorter lead times; anticipated integration of design and construction; certainty of price; opencommunication; arbitration; dispute resolution; management; leadership; contract understanding;quality; and best value, instead of lowest price. In this context, trends anticipation andorganizational change must be seen as a requirement to a firms survival in a competitive, turbulentand dynamic environment.

REFERENCES

ALLINSON, K. Getting there by design, an architects guide to project and design

management. Boston: Architectural Press, 1997, 224 p.

BORDEAU, L. Quelques grands dterminants de levolution future du processus de construction

dans les pays occidentaux: une analyse par le groupe de travail W82 du CIB. Cahiers du CSTB ,Cahier 2749, Oct., 1994, p. 1-21.

GRAY, C.; HUGHES, W. Building design management. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001.

177 p.

HOWELL, P.; HARDCASTLE, C. Integrating and managing the project team: an analysis ofdesign-build contracts. In: RICS CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING RESEARCH

CONFERENCE, 1. Proceedings.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 1996.

MELHADO, S. B.; HENRY, E. Quality management in French architectural offices and itssingularities. In: IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSTRUCTION QUALITY AND RELATEDSYSTEMS: A GLOBAL UPDATE, Lisbon, 2000. Proceedings. Lisbon: CIB Task Group 36,

2000. p. 371-384.

MULVEY, D. Project delivery trends: a contractors assessment. Journal of Management in

Engineering, Nov./Dec., 1998, p. 51-54.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL. A clients view of service.Available in: Access in:

Jun., 2001.

SYBEN, G. Contractors take command: from a demand-based towards a producer oriented model

in German Construction. Building Research & Information, v. 28, n. 2, 2000, p. 119-130.

WEINGARDT, R. Partnering: building a stronger design team. Journal of Architectural

Engineering, v. 2, n. 2, Jun., 1996, p. 49-54.

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