Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a new buzzword that is gaining a momentum within the construction industry in Malaysia, and worldwide. BIM is a way of working that involves the automation of the entire project team using a 4D model that can do many of the traditional fuctions of a Quatity Surveyor (QS). As BIM is removing more of the traditional work of QS, there are rising fears that it could threaten the viability of the QS professions especially for small firms that still rely on producing bills of quantities. This paper aims to review the challenges and opportunities gained from BIM advancement in QS profession, especially in Malaysia. Despite of serious cost and commercial challenges of BIM implementation, BIM will work wonder as a tool that will cut the amount of time QS have to spend on analysis and provides opportunities to direct QS talents towards being more efficient. This is resulting to better project coordination with a lot less conflict, a more sustainable building in the final instance and also throughout the process, as less time is spent on each stage.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual cost estimation (CCE) model for building project by using a pragmatic approach, which is a mix of tools drawn from multiple regression analysis (MRA) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), to improve the accuracy of cost estimation at an early stage. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a set of MRA and integrating MRA with ANFIS or MRANFIS. A simultaneous regression analysis was developed to determine the main cost factors from 12 variables as input variables in the ANFIS model. Cost data from 78 projects of state building in West Sumatra, Indonesia were used to indicate the advantages of the proposed model. Findings: The result shows that the proposed model, MRANFIS, has successfully improved the mean absolute percent error (MAPE) by 2.8 percent from MRA of 10.7–7.9 percent for closeness of fit to the model data and by 3.1 percent from MRA of 9.8–6.7 percent for prediction performance to the new data. Research limitations/implications: Because the significant variables are different for each building type, the model may be not appropriate for other buildings depending on the characteristics of building. The models can be used and analyzed based on the own historical project data for each case so that the model can be applied. Originality/value: The study thus provides better accuracy of CCE at an early stage for state building projects in West Sumatra, Indonesia by using the integrated model of MRA and ANFIS.

In modern architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) practices, the Iron Triangle of schedule, cost, and quality remains the key measurement to gauge project success. Existing tools do not work well at monitoring all three measures of the Iron Triangle, resulting in a huge cost and time overrun, and the existing functionality of Earned Value Management (EVM) covers only time and cost, but not quality. Thus, this study aims to develop a quality extension to EVM that caters to quality measurement. Firstly, this research introduced a measurable index and developed a new quality assessment method named the Quality Performed Assessment Method (QPAM) through a quantitative approach. Subsequently, a new tool named Earned Quality Value Management (EQVM) was developed to manage the Iron Triangle in a single reporting setting. The QPAM and EQVM were validated through three tiers of validation processes, namely, a pilot run to test its functionality in a conceptual model, a scenario analysis to identify its sensitivity, and a real case study to validate its functionality. QPAM and EQVM performed satisfactorily in systematic reporting and monitoring enhancement. This single reporting tool enables project stakeholders to make cross-comparisons and gain more insight into the project portfolio. Academically, this research minimized the gap among Iron Triangle management, quality management, and project portfolio management. Practically, this research developed a method for Iron Triangle control on a daily basis for both a single project and a portfolio.