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Kwaliteitsborging bij Reef Infra : onderzoek naar het verbeteren van het proces om de kwaliteit in projecten te waarborgen binnen een UAV-gc–contractvorm met behulp van onderaannemers

Jong, David de (2014) Kwaliteitsborging bij Reef Infra : onderzoek naar het verbeteren van het proces om de kwaliteit in projecten te waarborgen binnen een UAV-gc–contractvorm met behulp van onderaannemers.

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Abstract:In recent years the responsibility for quality assurance has been shifted to the executing organization due to new forms of contracts. This implies that a (sub)contractor is responsible for the quality control of its work and the reporting that is expected when working under UAV-gc contracts. The shifting responsibility for quality assurance between contractor and subcontractor(s) is a difficult process which troubles various organizations in the construction industry. Reef Infra is an organization which seeks to improve these quality processes. They are in need of identification of the most important influences on quality assurance within their organization to improve their processes. The problem definition of this research is: Current quality assurance processes within Reef Infra work under UAV-gc contracts are not efficient and are in need of improvements. The role of the subcontractor in the construction chain needs to be clarified in order to enable improvements of future cooperations. Quality assurance is objectively monitoring processes and products, to see if they comply with quality standards. Quality assurance is part of the quality management program of an organization but can also be influenced by external factors. Within the construction industry these factors are all parties involved in the realization process. The research objective is: To improve quality assurance in work from Reef Infra under UAV-gc contracts that are performed with the help of subcontractors. In the theoretical framework three subjects have been described that influence quality assurance. The first subject is quality management which describes the application of quality assurance. Then in the second part the possibilities of the use of supply chain integration in combination with quality assurance are mentioned. The use of Systems Engineering with quality assurance is the third part of the theoretical framework. The main influences that have been identified during the study of relevant literature for the application of quality assurance in combination with subcontractors under UAV-gc contracts are: 1. Profitable supplier relationships 2. Involvement of people 3. Continual improvement 4. Agreement processes 5. Project processes Besides a literature review field research was conducted within the organization of Reef Infra. Interviews were held with people working at the head office and with people working at three running construction projects. Goal of these interviews was to identify how quality assurance is currently applied within the organization in projects with subcontractors working under UAV-gc contracts. A document research of company processes has been conducted to support the analysis. By assessing the current processes of Reef Infra according to ISO-standards for quality and Systems Engineering on the five earlier mentioned points, an analysis of the current performance on quality assurance has been made. This analysis shows that the organization is performing well on Continual improvement and Project processes but performs insufficient on the other three factors. The involvement of people that are confronted with quality assurance can be improved by making sure that quality assurance is part of their daily work. In co-operation with subcontractors every employee needs to make sure that quality is part of both the agreement and the processes performed during every phase of the construction process. The right choice of a subcontractor is very important to improve quality assurance performances. Continual improvement allows the organization to learn from previous projects and to secure and share that knowledge within the organization. By using this principle, continuous assessment and improvement of company processes is assured. The realization of profitable supplier relations can contribute to the efficiency of quality assurance. This is assured by proper agreements at the start of projects which include the responsibilities of quality assurance during projects. Agreements should be made with preferred suppliers which understand and control the UAV-gc methods. Agreement processes can be improved by selecting preferred suppliers for the realization of projects. The specification of work that needs to be performed by the subcontractor needs to be accurately done by Reef Infra. Project processes are well documented within the organization and applied sufficiently. Reef Infra can improve their position as a principal by focusing on controlling the processes of the subcontractor, instead of checking the quality of the works which is the responsibility of the subcontractor. All improvements that are suggested need to be widely supported within the organization which implies that a clear vision of the management on quality performance is necessary. The application of suggested improvements within different fields in the construction industry like UAV and RAW contracts are topics for further research.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Clients:
Reef Infra, Oldenzaal, Nederland
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Subject:56 civil engineering
Programme:Civil Engineering and Management MSc (60026)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/66110
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