Project Materials Management Handbook

This handbook is the product of two and one-half years of effort by the Materials Management Task Force of the Construction Industry Institute (CII). The Materials Management Task Force was formed in February 1984. It has guided research and document preparation in the rapidly growing area of construction materials management. Prior to 1982 there was little documentation on this subject, but as is evident from the Bibliography there have been a considerable number of publications since 1982. The Construction Industry Cost Effectiveness (CICE) Project Report A6.5 (Business Roundtable 1983) was the first major research effort published on the subject of construction materials management. A condensation of this study is included in the Modern Management Systems Report A6 (Business Roundtable 1982). The Materials Management Task Force has subsequently published a series of documents shown in the Bibliography. Some of the chapters and appendices in this handbook (e.g., Chapter 2) are the original source documents published by the Task Force. The report on “Attributes of Materials Management Systems” (Stukhart and Bell 1985), and “Costs and Benefits of Materials Management Systems” (Bell and Stukhart 1986) are the foundation for much of the material included in this volume, and are referred to in several chapters.

Materials management has made a major contribution to manufacturing over the last 15 years. The same contribution is possible in construction despite the unique character of each construction project. Materials and equipment currently comprise 50-60% of the project cost, and lack of materials is the most common cause of construction delays. The Costs and Benefits study referred to earlier showed that significant gains have been made in controlling materials via the computer, and this control has contributed to greater productivity. As the total construction system becomes more automated, materials management will assume greater importance. There will be greater opportunities for improvements in productivity and quality, and less emphasis on manual labor.

This handbook is designed to be used by all project materials management personnel but it emphasizes the industrial construction sector, reflecting primarily the background of the authors of the chapters. Nevertheless, there are chapters on small projects, international, and commercial projects to indicate the special features of these types of construction, and most of the material in the handbook is sufficiently general to encompass all types of work.