Appraisal of value engineering application to construction industry in China

Abstract

The concept of value engineering has existed for more than half a century. Its application in construction is credited with some success notably in construction in many countries. Nevertheless, value engineering is rarely applied in the China construction industry. At present, the technical competence of construction industry is at a relatively low level in general. Since value engineering is still in its in its infancy, it hasn't been well-accepted by corporations in the construction industry. A survey among industrial practitioners has been conducted to identify possible causes for the dire status and highlight the real concerns among industrial practitioners in China. Generally, there is a lack of understanding in value engineering concepts among industrial practitioners and it is important for the government to take the lead in promoting value engineering practices in domestic projects. Moreover, the scope of value engineering can be broadened to many fields in construction. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.