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The electronic tendering system (e-tendering) has replaced the traditional processes in carrying out the tendering process in Malaysia’s construction procurement. However, issues, such as a lack of system capability and insufficient important features in the system, have arisen in the adoption of the e-tendering system, which causes users’ dissatisfaction with the system’s capabilities and performance. Thus, the objectives of the research were to identify the current issues and challenges in implementing the e-tendering system in Malaysian public construction procurement. The research objectives were attained by applying a qualitative approach via semi-structured interviews. A total of 11 participants representing contractors and public authorities, including the Public Works Department (PWD) with experience in using e-tendering systems, were involved. The data collected was transcribed and analysed using ATLAS.ti qualitative software. The research findings indicated that users encountered issues such as poor performance of the system, frequent website crashes, difficulties utilising Microsoft Excel as tender documents and issues getting notifications regarding addenda. These issues made the system difficult to operate and disrupted the tendering process. The findings of this research can provide a foundation for the establishment of a good and efficient e-tendering system to enhance user satisfaction in Malaysia’s construction procurement.

The South African Local Government (SALG) uses the tendering system to procure goods and services. Some of these tendering projects are aimed at promoting socio-economic and industrial policies. Hence, the tendering system used by SALG should be fair, transparent, competitive, cost-effective, equitable, and free from corruption. However, the mismanagement of the tendering system might lead to interruption of operations, late service delivery, rising costs, and most importantly, fraud and corruption. The use of paperwork to share project information might lead to the mismanagement of the tendering project because it might contribute towards illicit altering of project information during the process. The purpose of this study is to develop a Blockchain prototype that might be used to securely share project information with all the parties interested in the tendering project. It is recommended that the adoption of the proposed solution will enable various organisations to have access to real-time data, allowing them to have access to the entire project history regardless of their geographical location. Access to real-time data would promote real-time auditing and digital forensic investigations because both auditors and investigators will have access to credible digital evidence or project information of their interest in real-time.

The paper examines the different tendering systems developed before and after the establishment of the Dogana dei Paschi of Siena for the management of pasture revenues in Southern Tuscany between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It focuses on the tendering system of the first half of the fourteenth century, the one temporarily established in the 1370s, and the one developed in 1412. In particular, the paper focuses on the latter, which developed as a public-private ‘mixed’ tendering system with private contractors elected as and with the same procedures of public officials, and for which more sources are available, in order to study its financial impact and the subsequent institutional adjustments, together with a study of its contractors. For some of them, the paper reconstructs the socio-economic profile, together with the profits and the political and economic advantages of participating in the revenues of the Dogana, suggesting the role of the ‘mixed’ tender system in maintaining the political and economic balance between the different factions (Monti) in which the Sienese urban elite was organized in the fifteenth century.

This paper positions blockchain systems in the context of smart city policy. It argues that blockchain technology may be an effective vehicle in coping with corruption and ‘false playing’ in urban public procurement and tendering systems. It presents the design of new app (Self-Sovereign App or SSApp) to avoid corruptive behavior of agents.

This paper critically evaluates the effectiveness of South Africa’s local government tendering system in driving sustainable development and addressing historical injustices, drawing a comparative analysis with the United Kingdom's County Councils’ tendering practices in the health and social care sector. Through a secondary data approach, this research benchmarks the two systems, using qualitative data from government reports, tender documents, and policy reviews. Grounded in the Public Choice Theory, the paper interrogates how public sector tendering fosters economic equity and service delivery efficiency. The research reveals that while South Africa’s tendering framework promotes inclusive development, systemic corruption and inefficiencies impede its transformative potential. The UK’s model, conversely, demonstrates higher levels of accountability and market competitiveness, offering key lessons for reform. The paper argues for improved transparency, accountability, and stakeholder participation to recalibrate South Africa’s tendering system for sustainable governance outcomes.

Purpose Decisions by construction contractors to bid (or not to bid) require the thorough assessment and evaluation of factors relevant to the decision, as well as the quantification of their combined impact, to produce successful bid/no-bid decisions. The purpose of this study is to present a fuzzy fault tree model to assist construction contractors to more efficiently bid for future projects. Design/methodology/Approach The proposed model consist of two stages: first, identification of the factors that affect bidding decision using a questionnaire survey after an extensive literature review, and second, usage of the identified factors to build a fuzzy fault tree model to simulate the bidding decision. Findings A list of 15 factors that affect bid/no-bid decisions was identified. Analysis of factors revealed that the highest-ranking factors were related to financial aspects of the project. A case study is presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the model, and a fuzzy important analysis is performed on the basic events to demonstrate the differences between three contractors’ bid/no-bid decisions. The results reveal that there is variation between the decisions of each contractor based on their willingness to participate. Besides, the influence of evaluation factors on the final decision for each contractor is different. Originality/value The study contributes to the body of knowledge on tendering and bidding practices. The proposed model incorporated the fuzzy set theory, which suits human subjectivity. The proposed methodology overcomes the limitations of previous models as it can, using the linear pool opinion principle, combine and weigh the evaluations of multiple experts. In addition, the model is convenient for situations where historical data are not available.

Trenchless pipe renewal can be a more cost-, time- and environmentally effective alternative to traditional open-cut replacement. It reduces service disruptions for surrounding infrastructures and is often cheaper, especially when extensive excavation works are necessary, particularly in cold climates, like Norway, where trenches are traditionally deep due to frost security requirements. Still, the uptake of trenchless technologies is still limited in the Norwegian market. In this study, interviews were conducted with representative actors in the Norwegian water industry (water utilities, contractors, and consultants), with the aim of revealing how the technology for renewal of pipes is selected in the planning phase and identifying hindering and enabling factors for trenchless technology uptake in the market. Factors identified include market conservativism, lack of trust between stakeholders, missing guidelines about the distribution of risk, lack of knowledge/specialization in utilities and consultant offices, and issues pertaining to the project delivery method and tendering process. These factors indicate which measures could be implemented to increase the uptake of trenchless technologies in the Norwegian and similar markets. Suggested measures include strengthening the position of stakeholder independent trade organization, facilitating cooperation between smaller utilities and adapting the tendering process to better reflect the requirements of the projects.

Currently, modern power grids are evolving into complex cyber-physical systems integrated with distributed energy resources that can be controlled and monitored by computer-based algorithms. Given the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence algorithms, it is essential to explore the possibility of energy management in microgrids by implementing control methodologies with advanced processing centers. This study proposes a novel smart multi-agent-based framework under a tendering process framework with a bottom-up approach to control and manage the flow of energy into a grid-connected microgrid (MG). The tendering organization in this structure as an upstream agent allocates demand among generators, creates a balance between supply and demand, and provides optimal energy cost for the MG. To optimize the electricity cost and decrease the use of grid power, the first-price sealed-bid (FPSB) algorithm is implemented over the tendering process. The proposed approach from one side optimally allocates energy among generators, and, from the other side, guarantees the system from blackouts. Theoretical analysis and results demonstrate that the proposed technique is easy to implement and provides a robust and stable control for MGs, which can guarantee energy management as well as flexible and online control. Furthermore, results show the proposed framework besides the real-time allocation of power among providers to optimize the injected power from the grid so that the total injected power by the grid is 146.92 kWh and the injected power to the grid is 214.34 kWh.

When acquiring information systems, public entities face a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to procure the system that best suits their needs, which often requires lengthy dialogues with vendors. At the same time, they are restricted by government regulations that mandate limited dialogue in the interests of transparency and equal opportunities for all vendors. To examine how public entities deal with this, we followed three procurement projects in Norway. We show that this dilemma manifests itself as a dialectic between the thesis of getting the system requirements right and the antithesis of strictly adhering to regulations. Public entities search for a resolution of this dialectic through two syntheses: selecting an appropriate tendering procedure, and learning how to specify requirements through networks of peer public entities. Our findings reveal that the syntheses are possible because the dialectic is actually complimentary, both the thesis and the antithesis are needed to create the joint outcome that satisfies both. The resolution of the dialectic unfolds differently over time. Our study contributes to the relatively neglected stream of IS research on dialectics that explicitly searches for a synthesis while revealing the complementarity of the dialectic. We show how time plays a nuanced role in the resolution of the dialectic situation.

Basic 3D models of real buildings are mainly used in the design phase, when they serve as a visualization of future projects or as a basis for the creation of project documentation. However, the possibilities of Building Information Modeling are much wider. The paper presents the options available during the tendering for the company’s support service providers within the framework of Building Information Modeling (BIM). The principle is based on defining the necessary content of the Building Information Modeling, which would enable a smooth transition between the implementation and operational phases. At the end of the implementation phase, the model should contain information that could be used for the needs of the selection process for facility management service providers, which, unlike normal construction production, have many of their own specificities, but are necessary for the operation of the facility. This information must be entered into the model during the entire construction process in the form of defined parameters, a defined format and the location of these parameters. The purpose of the Building Information Modeling should primarily be the optimization of costs during the entire life cycle of the construction project, as well as better and clearer availability of information and facilitation of cooperation between individual participating entities. Therefore, the prerequisite for using the Building Information Modeling as the main basis for tendering is its high-quality processing, which places high demands on all participants in the investment project.