The role of multi-criterion decision methods (MCDM) in securing best value from buildings procured through PPP/PFI

Multiple Criteria Decision Methods (MCDM) in various guises, have been in use in industry for some time. The emphasis, however, has generally been on the process of establishing value criteria and reaching the preferred choice, be it a design proposal or contractor selection. Very little attention, however, has been given to the performance of buildings over their intended lives. One possible reason for this lack of attention is the absence of accountability for non-performance. This is to be expected, since no clear statement of life-time performance criteria has been established across all built facilities. As a consequence it is extremely difficult to determine exactly where the responsibility lies for non-performance. The matter of performance has taken on greater urgency with the introduction of PPP/PFI projects. Judging by the experience of users of the facilities, many of the disputes over non-performance seem to revolve around the lack of clarity in the framing of performance criteria. It is only by giving sufficient attention to the framing of performance criteria based on MCDM methodology, that a robust and workable set of performance criteria may be developed.