Abstract

In the demand for improved procurement methods, the design-and-build approach has become prevalent in the construction industry as a fast track strategy. However, the quality issues in design-and-build projects raise the alarm for attention. Competency of project managers in quality management of design-and-build projects may be questionable so that success is hard to achieve. This research intends to identify issues in implementing quality systems in design-and-build projects. A questionnaire survey was employed to collect data from 198 targeted project management consultant firms and construction management firms all over Malaysia. Finding shows that time constraint is the biggest obstacle in the implementation of quality system in design-and-build projects. Six root causes leading to success in design-and-build project have been identified, namely client, time, manpower, management, money, and material. The results of this study could be used as guidelines to successfully handle quality management in design-and-build construction projects in emerging economies in Asian, Africa and other developing regions.

Key words: Design-and-build, CTM⁴ model, Ishikawa diagram, quality management, implementing quality system, critical success factors.