Purpose: In spite of emerging research on building information modelling (BIM) capability assessment, there is a general dearth of knowledge about the links between often pre-emptive capability measurement attributes and actual delivery success. More so, current studies have not considered success from the wider construction supply chain (CSC) perspective. So far, the perceived importance of capability metrics is not based on post-project evaluations of their contribution to BIM delivery success. This paper aims to identify relevant BIM capability attributes used for qualifying CSC organisations for projects and further aims to investigate their relative importance and influence on some key aspects of BIM delivery success. Design/methodology/approach: Based on heretofore validated set of BIM capability attributes from semi-structured interviews and a Delphi study, a survey of CSC firms on BIM-enabled projects was used to model the influence of BIM capability attributes on BIM delivery success. Multiple regression modelling was performed to ascertain the nature of the relationship between BIM capability attributes and the key aspects of BIM delivery success as identified from the literature. Findings: BIM staff experience and the suitability of proposed methodology prior to project commencement were identified as the most influential on BIM delivery quality, as well as delivery within schedule and on budget. Conversely, the administrative and strategic-level capacities were found as the most influential in leveraging collaboration, coordination or integration of the CSC on projects through BIM. Originality/value: This study provides a step change in prioritising BIM capability criteria based on evidence of their contribution to delivery success in key performance areas, rather than their perceived importance as capability metrics as widely practised.

Emerging frameworks of BIM implementation have proposed several attributes as measures of macro-scale BIM maturity within countries. Such macro-scale BIM maturity indicators determine the policy and institutional imperatives for BIM diffusion at the national and market levels. Although macro-scale initiatives are enacted to ultimately drive micro-scale (organisational) BIM adoption, it remains unclear whether they have been effective in practice. To ascertain this, the macro-scale BIM maturity of two countries (Qatar and the United Kingdom) are examined in order to identify the influence of the key macro-scale maturity factors on implementation at the micro-scale. Based on expert BIM maturity evaluation and interviews (n = 16), the maturity of both countries was ascertained and compared. Subsequently, a survey (n = 73) of construction businesses was used to solicit opinions about the relevance of macro-BIM maturity factors to implement at the micro-level. The study further identifies peculiarities with respect to the maturity levels of both countries. The findings indicate that both Qatar and UK have generally comparable levels of macro-BIM maturity, although, in some areas, both countries failed to meet the expectations of organisations in terms of facilitating their BIM adoption at the micro-level. Qatari organisations were of the opinion that further maturity is required in relation to champions and drivers, as well as regulatory frameworks. Similarly, in the UK, organisations were of the view that there was a need for more in terms of champions and drivers as well as noteworthy publications in order to facilitate micro-scale adoption.

Purpose: Poor performance remains a challenge for the construction industry worldwide. One of the key performance indicators of the construction industry is the timely delivery of projects. Despite the recent methodological and technological advances in the field, project-overrun remains a significant challenge for the industry. This paper seeks to propose practical solutions that allow overcoming the challenges and promote the opportunities for improving the performance of the construction projects in Dubai.Design/methodology/approach: This study focussed on the construction projects in Dubai; therefore, this research adopted a sequential mixed approach in two stages. The first stage involved face-to-face interviews with seven carefully selected construction professionals. Their answers were analysed to provide with the literature study “the informed-basis for the development of the online questionnaire”. The second stage involved an online survey administrated to 425 carefully selected construction organisations working in Dubai. Accordingly, a meticulous analysis for the prime causes of project overruns has also been undertaken. This analysis assisted proposing the most suitable solutions-based technologies that enabled alleviating overruns in the construction projects.Findings: The findings revealed that, there was a consensus agreement on the formidable opportunities for improving the performance of the construction industry in general and in particular in Dubai. These opportunities are intrinsically linked with the adoption of the latest technologies such as building information modelling, augmented reality, virtual reality and the artificial intelligence (AI). Whereas, adopting AI has already assisted two public authorities to release No Objection Certificates and work permits effectively within one day instead of 14 working days, which has saved 90% of the time and cost. Likewise, adoption of the AI has assisted delivering the construction project with a 9% of time saving and a 6% of cost saving due to embracing an automated system that enabled them to instantly detect and report the delays, once occurred.Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study is that the study was limited to the construction industry in the Emirate of Dubai. Therefore, future research could target the whole United Arab Emirates construction industry to propose the practical solution on the country level.Practical implications: The literature study is replete with solutions, which tend to be theoretical more than practical. Therefore, the proposed practical recommendations will significantly assist the construction industry to improve its suboptimal performance to rescind the sovereignty of the irrelevant involvements. The research recommended establishing independent entity to lead the change in the construction industry; this entity will have the power of enacting rules and legislations. Furthermore, this independent entity will have the power and authority of dictations and impose sanctions on the non-committed organisations that are reluctant to adopt the recommended technologies and approaches.Originality/value: Based on the findings of the study, this paper draws a road map for the construction industry by determining practical solutions for improvements starting with an establishment of an independent authority that selects and tests the most appropriate technologies and approaches to contribute to performance improvements.

Purpose: This study aims to design and validate a decision support system (DSS), named preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites (PRABS). It is intended that the proposed DSS will aid the identification of potential hazards and, in doing so, highlight challenges facing those stakeholders dealing with the decision-making on brownfield site redevelopments, where the examples of diverse stakeholders would include, for instance, risk assessors, local planning authorities, regulator, developers, civil engineers, architectures, landowners, investors and alike. Moreover, the DSS will enable them to promote safer redevelopment and minimise the risks to future occupants of brownfield sites and neighbouring lands, on the top of the tool being communal platform of an effective communication between them as it is for both experts and non-experts. Design/methodology/approach: This research employs a comprehensive five-stage process, integrating both quantitative and qualitative methods and utilizing mixed methods for a nuanced exploration of data. The initial stage involves an in-depth examination of contemporary risk assessment tools for contaminated sites, setting the foundation and benchmarks for subsequent stages. Stage two focuses on creating a conceptual framework using insights from existing literature to guide the development of the DSS tool. Stage three introduces a validation mechanism through a questionnaire administered to experts. Stage four involves the active development of the DSS tool, transforming theoretical constructs into a practical application. The final stage, stage five, employs quantitative data analysis and case studies to validate, refine and enhance the DSS tool’s applicability in real-world scenarios, ensuring its approval. Findings: This study presents PRABS, a user-friendly DSS for the PRABS. Validation through a quantitative online survey indicates strong support for PRABS, with around 80% of participants willing to recommend it due to its ease of use and information quality. Qualitative data analysis using real-life case studies further demonstrates the tool’s effectiveness. PRABS proves valuable in identifying hazards during the preliminary stage, accurately predicting potential contaminants despite limited input data in the case studies. The tool’s hazard identification aligns well with expert judgments and case study reports, confirming its practical utility. Practical implications: This study has several limitations. First, the DSS identifies only hazards associated with one layer of site geology, even though sites may include multiple layers, which limits the comprehensiveness of the hazard identification process. Second, adopting an online survey approach posed challenges in achieving a high response rate and gathering a representative sample, making it uncertain how the results might vary with a higher number of professional participants. This limitation affects the generalisability of the findings. Finally, while this study identified 65 potential hazards associated with brownfield sites, this number could be expanded to include hazards related to plants, animals and air, indicating the need for a more inclusive approach to hazard identification. Given these limitations, future research should focus on addressing these gaps. Originality/value: The contributions of this study offer practical benefits. Firstly, it enables the initial risk assessment process to be more comprehensive and integrated and reduces complexity in the risk assessment process by ensuring that all probabilities, along with their significance, are identified at the initial stage of the risk assessment. This could be a strong starting point for successfully conducting a more detailed risk assessment and remediation. Secondly, the developed PRABS can promote effective environmental communication among stakeholders, which should speed up the planning process and help develop brownfield sites more efficiently and effectively, while preserving the natural environment.