A framework for the integration and coordination of the construction supply chain

The current construction supply chain is characterised by multiple subcontractors who perform most work on a construction project; provide their own resources, and coordinate between themselves under the general guidance of a main contractor. In fact, subcontractors' schedules are integrated only at master level within the general contractor's schedule and can be considered as distributed and heterogeneous. As a result, their coordination and integration can be a very challenging task. Although schedule coordination and integration could provide important benefits to the time and cost of construction projects, it has not attracted much attention from researchers and commercial software providers. This paper outlines the development of a solution for the coordination of schedules in the construction supply chain. While enabling coordination, the solution aims to put minimum constraints on planners; to accommodate planning information coming from different commercial planning tools, and to provide decision making capabilities. In addition, the solution is integrated within a 5D planning environment where the integrated schedules can be visualised and rehearsed.