Purpose The construction industry today is one of the biggest industries in the world. As projects continue to grow in complexity, project management continues to evolve. Contractor selection is a difficult task that owners and project managers face. Although previously researchers have worked on the subject of contractor selection, a comprehensive decision support system for contractor selection has not yet been developed. Recent reports of major delays and cost overruns in mega projects highlight the need for a model that is able to be flexible and comprehensive becomes evident. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The research focuses on obtaining insights from field experts using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Then, a model was developed in the light of the data collected. Accordingly, the model was tested on a case study. Findings This paper presents a model for contractor selection that is wholesome in its take on the topic. The model incorporates both managerial and technical aspects of the problem. The model was tested on a case study and it was proven to be feasible in real world applications. The contractor selection decision support system serves the needs of both academics and industry managers, as an integral part of project management. Originality/value The model presented in this paper is innovative in its take on the problems. MCDA tools have been uniquely modified in this paper to cater to the needs of the selection problem while accounting for the criteria hierarchy that incorporates aspects that are instrumental for proper evaluation of a contractor’s likelihood of success.

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This paper compares the PPC model to a Markov Chain (MC) stochastic deterioration model. First, inspection data from the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM) is gathered and analyzed. Then Transition Probability Matrices (TPM) are developed, and, using Matlab, MC deterioration curves are developed. Comparison between MC and the PPC deterioration curves is performed for subway station walls and slabs. The comparison has shown that the useful service life can be as low as 2 years for components having many inspection history records, and very high as 30 years for components having very few inspection history records. The PPC model has always a higher useful service life estimate. Also, the MC has a ten times higher deterioration rate (0.2 per year) compared to the PPC model (0.02 per year). It can be concluded that the MC deterioration model requires a high amount of inspection data, and it is mathematically difficult to generate since most practicing managers and engineers have no background in Markov Chain modeling.

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