Breaking Frontiers and Barriers in Engineering: Education, Research and Practice

Abstract In the construction industry, materials account for a big part of products and project costs. The total cost of installed materials (or Value of Materials) may account for 50% or more, even though the manufacturing cost may be a minor part of the total, probably 20-30%. Material ordering and delivery are very important for the successful execution and completion of any project since unavailability of materials can stop production. The person in charge of procuring materials needs to ensure that the correct materials in the correct quantities are ordered. They also need to verify the release dates at which the material is needed and clearly specify those delivery dates as well as the location of delivery to the supplier. It is important for a company to consider that even for standard materials, there may be significant difference in the date that the material was requested or date when the purchase order was made, and the time in which the material will be delivered. Unavailability of materials when needed can affect productivity, cause delays and possible suspension of activities until the required material is available. These delays can occur if the quantities needed are large and the supplier is not able to produce those materials at that time or by any other factors beyond the control of the company. Therefore, material procurement is a critical aspect to consider for the successful completion of a construction project. Current material procurement practices in the construction industry are mostly paper-based. This method requires double entry of information, which could increase errors. In addition, report dissemination among the different parties could be a challenge. The paper presents a research effort to automate the current material procurement process, using the Pocket PC platform, for the electrical construction industry. This effort seeks to improve the current manual process and to minimize errors