Developing a building contract administration framework for graduate architects managing housing projects / Tiew Si Yee

Tiew , Si Yee (2024) Developing a building contract administration framework for graduate architects managing housing projects / Tiew Si Yee. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

The building contract administrator (usually the architect) is assigned to all the project matters from the time of signing the building contract until the work is accepted and final payment has been made. As the number of projects is increasing and the scope of the building contract administrator is huge, architects are unable to hands-on every project and they require the involvement of graduate architects to assist in their work. Ultimately, graduate architects play a vital role in supporting building contract administration (BCA) of housing projects in Malaysia. Previous research showed that architectural firms are dissatisfied with the quality of graduate architects and they have to re-train to make them fit for their jobs before starting their practice. The architectural education syllabus did not overcome the gap between institutions and the dynamic real world causing graduate architects to spend more time exploring while supporting BCA to acquire the necessary skills and experience. Hence, the purpose of this research is to enhance the performance of graduate architects while supporting BCA of housing projects in Malaysia through the development of the BCA framework by identifying the types of obstacles, root causes, and mitigation measures and understanding the relationship between these variables. A mixed methodology was implemented to achieve the purpose of the research. A quantitative method was used to determine the sub-themes and sequence arrangement of the BCA framework. One hundred and twenty-seven (127) survey data collected from graduate architects were analysed using statistical analysis, factor analysis, and relative importance index (RII). The relationship between variables was investigated using mediation analysis. A qualitative method was used to obtain a detailed description of the phenomenon through seven (7) selected case studies that involved documentation reviews and semi-structured interviews with twenty (20) respondents. Data collected are analysed using thematic and content analysis. A focus group was undertaken with practicing architects to validate the draft framework. The research concluded that there are 5 themes of management in BCA. Findings from the quantitative method concluded that obstacles faced by graduate architects (or named performance barriers) while supporting BCA are deficient in BCA management. The root causes of the obstacles (or named BCA skills) are inadequate skills in BCA management and mitigation measures to resolve the obstacles (or named competence development) is to instill knowledge in BCA management. Mediation analysis results showed variables from performance barriers to be the sub-theme of the content framework. Findings from the qualitative method concluded that strategies for letter writing, authority submission, materials assessment, etc. are required in BCA management. The contribution of this research to the existing knowledge is the development of a BCA framework that serves as a reference tool for graduate architects’ professional development in building contract administration. Academics can use the outcome of this research as a reference in their teaching modules which will help students to think about complex situations of building contract administration.

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