TY - JOUR
T1 - Multi-criteria decision analysis and quality of design decisions in infrastructure tenders
T2 - a contractor’s perspective
AU - van der Meer, Jeroen
AU - Hartmann, Andreas
AU - van der Horst, Aad
AU - Dewulf, Geert
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Design decision-making in infrastructure tenders is a challenging task for contractors due to limited time and resources. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) promises to support contractors in dealing with this challenge. However, the ability of MCDA to ensure decision quality in the specific context of infrastructure tenders has gained little attention. By undertaking a longitudinal case study on early design decisions in a tender for a design-build project in the Netherlands the relationship between MCDA and decision quality is investigated. The case results show that in the early tender phase the decision making very much relies on the experience and knowledge of engineers. If MCDA is inappropriately used in such a context it can create impressions of soundly underpinned evaluations of design options while neglecting uncertainties and leading to low-quality decision. Although MCDA defines the “what” is required for structuring the decision problem, it does not support decision-makers in the “how” to do it. The explicit consideration of decision quality elements in MCDA can support the “how” and can create awareness for decision makers concerning importance, scope and uncertainty of criteria.
AB - Design decision-making in infrastructure tenders is a challenging task for contractors due to limited time and resources. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) promises to support contractors in dealing with this challenge. However, the ability of MCDA to ensure decision quality in the specific context of infrastructure tenders has gained little attention. By undertaking a longitudinal case study on early design decisions in a tender for a design-build project in the Netherlands the relationship between MCDA and decision quality is investigated. The case results show that in the early tender phase the decision making very much relies on the experience and knowledge of engineers. If MCDA is inappropriately used in such a context it can create impressions of soundly underpinned evaluations of design options while neglecting uncertainties and leading to low-quality decision. Although MCDA defines the “what” is required for structuring the decision problem, it does not support decision-makers in the “how” to do it. The explicit consideration of decision quality elements in MCDA can support the “how” and can create awareness for decision makers concerning importance, scope and uncertainty of criteria.
KW - Decision quality
KW - decision-making
KW - infrastructure tender
KW - multi-criteria decision analysis
KW - trade-off
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078961434&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01446193.2019.1577559
DO - 10.1080/01446193.2019.1577559
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85078961434
SN - 0144-6193
VL - 38
SP - 172
EP - 188
JO - Construction Management and Economics
JF - Construction Management and Economics
IS - 2
ER -