A Cloud-based Model For Construction Project Bidding And Contractor Selection

As a branch of bidding and bid activity, construction bidding and bid is crucial to the whole life cycle of construction project. Contractor selection or bid evaluation is an integrate part of this process and a determinant of such construction performances as quality, schedule and cost. The traditional methodology for bidding and bid, which is featured paper-based and price-focused, has resulted in many problems. More importantly, this price-focused evaluation method has attracted some bidders who quote a low bid with expectation to offset later by claim, hurting the relationship between owners and contractors, causing distrust and less efficient communication, lowering construction quality, increasing construction time and cost and suppressing the development of healthy and organised construction market.As a new point of network computing, cloud computing is able to store and compute megadata and process it in distance, making cloud computing is competent to solve such problems as information asymmetry and distance bid evaluation in construction industry. So based on cloud computing, this essay established a framework for construction bidding and contractor selection, which was consisted of an information cloud and a bid evaluation cloud. In the process of building bid evaluation cloud, this essay1) established a set of evaluation indicators, which are on the basis of four principles indicating the trustworthy and competence of contractors, affecting project performance and facilitating post-evaluation;2) established database for prequalification to automatically and intelligently evaluate the qualification of contractors and the availability of priced bills of quantities;3) applied Gray Model, Gray Correlation Analysis, Group Analytical Hierarchy Analysis and some mathematic theories to define reasonable low price;4) provided quantifying methods for21trust-based evaluation indicators, analysed them by Gray Correlation Analysis and thus selected out the successful bidder. Examples provided in this essay verified the availability of this cloud computing-based system, which supplies a solid foundation for intelligent bid evaluation and for automatic and distance bidding and bid activity.