A multi-agent system for construction subcontractor selection | |
| Author | Burin Thanasuan |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ST-03-52 |
| Subject(s) | Construction industry--Subcontracting Subcontractors |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. ST-03-52 |
| Abstract | In a construction project, a large amount of time and efforts are usually spent for finding and selecting various subcontractors. Failures in managing this process may lead to problems, such as delays and unqualified subcontractors being selected. Subcontractor selection is a decisive event for project success. It corresponds to an interface between a main contractor and a variety of task-specialized subcontractors, which tends to increasingly play an important role in the construction project. For that reason, the success of a construction project is significantly influenced by this inte1face. The process of selection basically consists of routines information transmittal between two main parties: a contractor and a subcontractor. The routines of information transmittal primarily include a request for prequalification data, the prequalification data itself, result of prequalification, subcontractor's estimated cost, and the final selection result. Therefore, it is a rationale of this research to develop a system that facilitates this process. This research proposes an application of a Multi-agent System (MAS) as a possible aid for subcontractor selection in the construction industry. The MAS is composed of various agents acting on behalf of their user to achieve their particular goals. Basically, these agents are computer program communicating, cooperating, and interacting with each other via an Internet as a mean. A main contractor agent is required to perform the tasks formally executed by the main contractor. Similarly, a subcontractor agent will hand over the tasks previously perform by the subcontractor in subcontractor selection practice. With this approach, an extensive number of tasks related to subcontractor selection can be delegated to these main contractor and subcontractor agents, which can carry out the tasks more effectively and efficiently. |
| Year | 2003 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. ST-03-52 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Structural Engineering (STE) /Former Name = Structural Engineering and Construction (ST) |
| Chairperson(s) | Hadikusumo, Bonaventura H. W.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ogunlana, Stephen O. ;Haddawy, Peter ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology (Partial Scholarship); |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2003 |