Procurement and Materials Management: A Guide to Effective Project Execution
Research conducted by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) Materials Management Task Force in the late 1980s focused on defining the materials management process, documenting cost saving benefits associated with properly designed materials management systems, and providing guidance with respect to the development of materials management computer systems. Research also was conducted in the area of data acquisition systems, with emphasis on bar code technology. In 1988 the task force published Project Materials Management Handbook, which is believed to be the first authoritative reference with respect to the execution of the materials management process in the construction industry.
Before disbanding, the CII Materials Management Task Force recommended that a new task force be formed to examine a wide range of data management technologies and to continue to research bar code issues, including the need for common commodity codes and bar code label standards. The CII Electronic Data Management Task Force was formed in 1990 and research publications were issued in the areas of data integration strategies, bar code standards, electronic data interchange, expert systems, and integrated computer systems. Concepts and case studies related to some of these technologies were incorporated into the CII Education Module titled Tools for Effective Materials Management, which was developed in 1993.
In an effort to stimulate the utilization of electronic data management technologies in the construction industry, CII endorsed the formation of the Construction Industry Action Group (CIAG) in 1992. The mission of CIAG was to promote the implementation of cost-effective data related technologies, to provide user-level implementation support for these technologies, and to represent the U.S. construction industry in various national and international standards organizations. CIAG undertook a number of successful projects, including the formation of a subcommittee to establish common materials commodity codes (which later merged with others to form the Common Industry Material Identification Standards organization, CIMIS). Other CIAG projects included the publication of an electronic data interchange implementation guide and the publication of research reports related to object oriented programming, benchmarking, and the use of simulation to quantify the benefits associated with the implementation of data management technologies.
In 1996, CII Implementation Team 96-2 was formed for the purpose of updating the Project Materials Management Handbook. As part of the update effort, a survey questionnaire was distributed to CII member firms requesting information pertaining to the utilization of various materials management concepts and technologies. Thirty-eight CII member firms responded to the survey. Interviews were also conducted with eight CII member firms to obtain additional information that has been incorporated into this revision.
