The modern lifestyle has resulted in a gradual dismantling of the vital services offered by nature, putting human existence at risk. In this sense, it is understood as a Public Administration responsibility the active participation in the promotion of sustainable consumption and production strategies, not only through public policies implementation, but also through its abundant purchasing power. Thus, the present investigation aims to identify and classify the main barriers that have hampered the massive application of sustainable public procurement (SPP) in Brazil. The proposed objective was achieved through a Delphi study. A panel of experts identified 32 main obstacles for SPP implementation, which were subsequently ranked according to a five-point Likert scale. The results suggest that, among all the barriers identified, 10 are the leading factors that hinder the implementation of SPPs in the Brazilian public sector. The findings of this paper, therefore, provide a valuable reference for experts and practitioners in the selection of the obstacles that must be firstly overcome to stimulate the application of SPPs.
Construction sites are increasingly complex, and their layout have an impact on productivity, safety, and efficiency of construction operations. Dynamic site layout planning (DSLP) considers the adjustment of construction facilities on-site, on an evolving basis, allowing the relocation of temporary facilities according to the stages of the project. The main objective of this study is to develop a framework for integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their capacity for effective photogrammetry with site layout planning optimisation and Building Information Modelling (BIM) for automating site layout planning in large construction projects. The mathematical model proposed is based on a mixed integer programming (MIP) model, which was employed to validate the framework on a realistic case study provided by an industry partner. Allocation constraints were formulated to ensure the placement of the facilities in feasible regions. Using information from the UAV, several parameters could be considered, including proximity to access ways, distances between the facilities, and suitability of locations. Based on the proposed framework, a layout was developed for each stage of the project, adapting the location of temporary facilities according to current progress on-site. As a result, the use of space was optimised, and internal transport costs were progressively reduced.
Supply chain management is an emerging topic in the oil and gas industry. There is higher exposure of contractors to undesirable incidents and supplier selection is a multicriteria decision problem (MCDM). A fuzzy-TOPSIS method was employed in the evaluation of three suppliers regarding four HSE criteria. This method was applied in a case study of the oil and gas industry involving a contractor bidding process. Results reinforced that fuzzy-TOPSIS is a versatile and suitable method for supplier selection problems, with low computational complexity and promoting a better user experience. This method contributes to greater effectiveness and agility in the selection processes of suppliers regarding HSE management. The fuzzy-TOPSIS model is suitable for supplier selection problems and some of the benefits of applying this method are that it allows the attribution weights according to the level of importance of each criterion and considers the complexity, subjectivity, and uncertainty of the decision process. One has determined that it was essential to have a robust and consistent process for weighting the criteria and defining the most appropriate linguistic variables.
A crise econômica atualmente vivenciada pelo Brasil afeta profundamente o setor de engenharia, dependente direto de investimentos em infraestrutura, usualmente escassos em épocas de adversidade. Logo, este trabalho visa analisar como a qualidade do ensino de engenharia pode influenciar no desenvolvimento do país. Para tanto, optou-se por uma pesquisa exploratória, com consultas a relatórios publicados por organismos internacionais e a bancos de dados de instituições de pesquisa e estatística. Os resultados indicam que a engenharia brasileira não deve seguir na dependência de projetos de infraestrutura, mas dedicar-se também à inovação, buscando a introdução na chamada economia do conhecimento. Conclui-se que isto só será possível mediante a modernização dos currículos de engenharia, de forma a preparar os estudantes para o desafio de assumir a vanguarda deste movimento. O artigo procura contribuir para a conscientização de gestores e docentes quanto à premência desta reformulação, que já está em curso nas melhores instituições de ensino do mundo.
The construction industry is one of the most significant consumers of environmental resources worldwide. Faced with the need to produce new buildings, but without further burdening the environment, attempts to improve social, economic, and environmental indicators have turned attention to building construction in recent decades. The objective of this research is to develop a novel framework to assess the most sustainable choice of materials applied to the construction of low-income buildings, according to the three pillars of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL). A BIM-LCSA-FAHP-based model was proposed with the creation of nine different scenarios, where the materials of the structure (precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete, and structural masonry), painting (PVA water-based and acrylic), and roofing (ceramic and fiber cement tiles) varied. The proposed procedure consists of the elaboration of a 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) model, for which the parameters described above were evaluated according to the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA)-TBL-based criteria, divided into ten sub-criteria, that includes: (1) environmental (acidification, eutrophication, global warming, ozone depletion, smog formation, primary energy, non-renewable energy, and mass total), (2) economic (construction cost) and (3) socio-political issues (community impact). Finally, the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used as a multi-criteria decision-making technique that helps in aggregating and classifying the impacts of each scenario in a sustainability index (SI). Regarding the best option for low-income construction, the results indicated that precast concrete when combined with acrylic paint and fiber cement tiles (scenario 3) proved to be the most advantageous and achieved first place in the sustainability index (SI) developed in this work. This methodology is replicable for different construction typologies and several categories of materials, making it a robust decision-aiding tool for engineers, architects, and decision makers.
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