Development of a Methodology for Trustworthy Procurement and Management of Building Services Systems

PhD Candidate: Mrs Sachindra Hewavitharana

Supervisory Panel

Abstract

Building Services Systems (BSS) are essential for creating a comfortable, safe living environment in buildings. They account for a much higher cost—15% to 60% of the total project cost—and 50% of the entire project duration, compared to other building components such as architectural and structural elements. However, unlike other resources, building service systems typically have complex procurement requirements. The traditional procurement and management (P&M) processes adopted for BSS are time-consuming, expensive, and prone to errors due to the human factor. Additionally, there are no unified systems that support all construction procurement processes and data exchanges. Building service engineers face many challenges, including the high involvement of third parties, lack of transparency, lengthy life cycles, instantaneous feedback about design decisions, and unanticipated alterations in specifications, thus finding it difficult to complete projects on time and within budget. Therefore, it urges the necessity of exploring a better way of procuring and managing building service systems with cutting-edge technology. This research focuses on the applicability of blockchain technology in the procurement and management of BSS. A blockchain and smart contract-based methodology and prototype will be developed to enable trustworthy procurement and management of BSS in this research. Furthermore, this research uncovers the methodology for developing blockchain-based prototypes for real-world issues in construction projects and opens the path to applying blockchain to other inherent problems.

Sources of Funding

Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship for Doctor of Philosophy - Engineering higher degree program, Western Sydney University, Australia (2023 - 2026)

Biography

Sachindra is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Smart Modern Construction (c4SMC) at Western Sydney University. She holds an MSc in Project Management and a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She has been recognized on the Dean’s List for excellence in academic achievement during her undergraduate degree. Furthermore, she was awarded a research scholarship for her MSc by the National Science Foundation, the most prestigious research institute in Sri Lanka (2019). She is an associate member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka as well as a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) – United Kingdom. She is a colours award winner in the Sri Lanka inter-university games in 2016. Before joining the PhD program, she engaged as a research assistant at the University of Moratuwa, served as a Planning Engineer for international construction projects, and worked as an Assistant Director for the Ministry of Provincial Council and Local Government, Sri Lanka.

Education

• MSc in Project Management, University of Moratuwa (2019)
• BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa (2017)
• Managerial Level, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK

Honours / Awards / Grants

• Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship for Doctor of Philosophy - Engineering higher degree program, Western Sydney University, Australia (2023 - 2026)
• “Mahapola” Scholarship Award for BSc Engineering degree program, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (2013 - 2017)
• Scholarship Winner, National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka (2019)
• Dean’s List for Semesters 3 and 8 of BSc Engineering degree program, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (2013-2017)
• University Colours Insignia for sport in Annual Colours Awards Ceremony, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (2016)

Professional Affiliations

• Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (2017 - 2023)
• Member at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK

Research Interests

• Blockchain
• Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
• BIM
• Digitalisation of Construction Industry
• Project Management/ Construction Management

Related Publications

Conference Publications

• Hewavitharana, S, Perera, S, Jin, X, Seneviratne, K & Bamdad, K 2023, 'An Introduction to Blockchain in Building Services: A Literature Review', WCS, DOI 10.31705/WCS.2023.12
• Hewavitharana, T, Nanayakkara, S & Perera, S 2019, 'Blockchain as a project management platform', 8th World Construction Symposium, DOI 10.6084/m9.figshare.10326821.v1

Contact

Disclaimer

The content of this page is based on the information provided by the profile holder.