Determination of Optimal Rolling Planning Period for the Management of BIM-Based Construction Supply Chain Processes

Current construction projects often suffer from a lack of synchronization between on-site material requirements and supply. This is at least partially because of the use of a fixed rolling planning period and the length of material lead times. The length of the rolling planning period matters because it affects when materials are ordered. The later the materials are ordered, the higher the chance of having material shortages that will cause progress delays. The earlier the materials are ordered, the higher the chance of having them delivered too early and having to organize storage and keeping track of inventory. This study proposes a methodology to determine the optimal rolling planning period for construction projects, that is, the period that provides the lowest total cost considering unexpected delays in construction progress and the unexpected need to store materials on site. The optimal period was determined using data extracted from a regularly updated building information model (BIM) and a heuristic search algorithm. The methodology is used to plan the raw materials for site-mix concrete for an office building project to be completed in four weeks. It is shown that the methodology can reduce costs related to materials arriving too early or too late on site.