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STRUCTURING MATERIALS PURCHASE PROCESS LOOKING FOR E-COMMERCE IN CIVIL CONSTRUCTION

Adriana de Paula Lacerda Santos Federal of Parani University

Brazil E-mail: adrianapls@ufpr,br

Mauro Lacerda Santos Filho Federal of Parani University

Brazil E-mail: rnauro@tecnologia.ufpr.br

ABSTRACT

This work presents the application of the e-commerce in the siipplies purchasing process in the Brazilian constrriction industry. A guide was created, and it is based on the activities of the purclrasingprocedures of two case studies. TIte results of the comparison with the results from other companies have shown tfiat the purchasing process of the contractors is not well related within the guidance lines developed in the research. Only 60% of the established rules are used in those cases. The option for operational actions, like small prices survey and managerial operations is one of the main reasons for the poor results.

Keywords: e-commerce, purchasing, office materials

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The supplies purchasing process holds a very important position inside the topics dealing within the internal procedures of any construction industries. This happens due to the fact that it deals with a large amount of financial resources and has a great impact to the building operation, including the efficiency and rationality of the construction site. Researches show that the company is searching indoor process improvements must have a purchasing process with strategic focus. It means the need for changes within the procedures. The buyers will perform actions that really add value to the purchasing process such as: participation in the construction planning, the making of the purchasing plan, the search of new suppliers and materials, the making deals and evaluation of the suppliers.

Construction materials are very important in the construction procedure. (PALACIOS, 1995). Due to this the purchase function of these companies has been forced to look for costs reduction, and also, to improve the quality of this process (BAILY et. al., 1999). A proper conduction on commercial dealings generated by the purchase function can increase the companies profit margin.

One way to reduce the problems with the traditional material purchase process is the implantation of the electronic commerce (CUNNINGHAM, 2000). The electronic commerce can be defined as the purchase and sale of supplies by a net (ex: Internet). E-commerce uses the integration of the supplies net management with the other organization processes, considering that most part of the purchase process is automatic (GRILO, 1998).

Using an electronic catalogue valid for the whole company, the purchasing team can previously negotiate supply contracts with price, time of delivery and quality in much more favourable conditions because of the involved volume (ALBERTIN, 2001).

This material purchase decentralization can bring an unique opportunity for fast and efficient self attendance, within the purchase policy adopted in the company (BLUMENSCHEIN; FREITAS, 2000). The implantation of the electronic commerce on material purchase function can give a distribution of responsibilities of the purchase team (FARACO, 1998).

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With the implantation of the e-commerce on the purchase function it is also possible to reduce the costs per deal (CUNNINGHAM, 2000). With the automation of the whole process (purchase requisition, authorization, quotation, integration with the corporative system, request to the supplier and product's delivery) the company can reduce the purchase cycle and the costs per deal, as well as reduce the paper flux (GRILO, 1998).

In order to simplify the analysis, one considers that the e-commerce solutions can be basically divided into eight groups, which depend on the businesses nature (FARACO, 1998; AMBER, 1997; AMORIN, 1999; CROSS, 2000; PAPAZOGLOU, TSALGATIDOU, 2000; PEPPERS, ROGERS, 2001; KAMPAS, 2001): Business-to-Business - B2B (company-company), Business-to- Consumer - B2C (company-consumer), Business-to-Employee - B2E (company-employee), Consumer-to-Business - C2B (consumer-company), Consumer-to-Consumer - C2C (consumer- consumer), Government-to-Business - G2B (government-company), Government-to-Consumer - G2C (government-consumer), and Business-to-Government - B2G (company-government).

2.0 TYPES OF ELECTRONIC BUSINESS B2B

There are many ways to make business utilizing the e-commerce B2B. The places where the dealings happen are called Marketplaces (KAMPAS, 2001). According to reference (VENKATRAMAN, 2000) Marketplaces are divided into two categories. The Public Marketplace is an inter-enterprise model that connects multiple consumers and suppliers that have the goals to generate incomes and profits offering aggregated value services. This kind of marketplace is divided into two segments: the vertical marketplace that is faced to many members of an industrial segment, and the horizontal marketplace that provides services to a wide scale of segments. The private marketplace refers to a marketplace solution individually implemented by an organization to integrate its busineis processes with its partners.

The Electronic Data Interchange (ED9 makes the structured data transfer from a computer to another using a standard communication. This kind of something refers to a "private marketplace" (ANGELES, NATH, 1999). The information received via ED1 can be directly used by the user without the necessity of human processing and analysis on the file (McLOUGHLIN, 1995). The ED1 system transmits the message (document???) to the receiver putting it in his message box. The consignee receives the message through ED1 tools and the message now is passed through the "translator" in order to convert the message format for the receiver computer system (McLOUGHLIN, 1995). To utilize the ED1 it's necessary to pay for an annual signature license to access the net, besides that, there are software and hardware costs that make this tool quite onerous for the company (McLOUGHLIN, 1995).

In the e-commerce system using e-mails, an emitter transmits a message from his computer to a central and it goes to the receiver box. The system notifies the receiver that the message is in his mailbox and he must read it. (COLLINS, 1995). According to (GIMENEZ, 2000) the e-mail system can be classified in two groups. Public e-mail systems are those located in WANs (Wide- Area Networks). This service is done by companies that transfer the information between distant computers, for instance, between regional companies and the matrix. Private e-mail systems are those located in LANs (Local-Area Networks) or by mainframes. E-mail's basic characteristic is that it allows the communication between companies, but it doesn't allow the interaction. This e- commerce model allows the interaction between users. The electronic channel is similar to the conventional EDI, but characterized by the direct dealing between the supplier and the consumer through internet. The electronic channel is an example of private marketplace. The electronic channel eliminates the intermediation between supplier and consumer and can proportion the supply chain interaction (VENKATRAMAN, 1991). The differential between the electronic channel and the conventional ED1 is that for one to implant the first there is no necessity to invest so much resources in information systems.

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The Horizontal Portal is characterized by the involvement of various suppliers of various industrial sectors. Buyers and suppliers can only utilize the portal after the delivery of their companies' information at the site. The retention of information about clients has the objective to generate propaganda (KAMPAS, 2001). The Vertical Portals are characterized by the involvement of many suppliers with many consumers that work in the same industrial sector. This is an example of public marketplace. The vertical portals have the characteristic to create specialized markets. They also guarantee the materials dealings and logistic through pre-accorded agreements with the portal partners (KOTHANDARAMAN, WILSON, 2001). The demand aggregator is defined as the site where small buyers aggregate themselves creating co-operatives. This model is also another example of public marketplace. It is characterized by the involvement of the supplier, the managing company, the portal and many consumers. The demand aggregator is responsible for joining suppliers and managing the purchase process inside the site. Usually organized in portal shapes, these co-operatives improve the consumer's bargain power, the scale gain and the efficacy raise on purchase process.

The furnishing aggregator refers to the involvement of various suppliers, fivnishing and buyer aggregator. The M s h i n g aggregator is focused on the demander market and the flowing of the exceeding production. The difference between the demand and finishing aggregators is that in the second kin of e-commerce, the co-operatives are done between furnishes. This model is usually utilized by transporting companies.

3.0 RESEARCH METHOD

The main objective was to investigate the possibility to implant the e-commerce on material purchase function of two civil construction companies. Thus, the kind of research method utilized . was the case study. The case study can be defined as an empiric investigation that investigates a contemporary phenomenon inside its real life context, especially when the limits between the phenomenon and the context are not clearly defined (YIN, 2001).

Were utilized the following data collection tools during about eighteen months: documents collection, direct observation and interviews with the function involved. During the interviews one quested to collect probative documents such as: quality manual, forms and procedures for the realization of tasks pertinent to the purchase material function. The interviews were based in a half- structured questionnaire with questions referent to the material purchase function and also about the purchase work routine with the other areas in the company. According to the answers, it was possible to identify purchase function development level. The logic for the present research realization passed by the following stages:

Planning: in this stage were defmed the question that based the research. One quested by bibliographic revision to verify what the authors of the material purchase area published about the xommerce. Form: The logic of the directress structuring for the e-commerce implantation on civil construction was developed based on literature about pro-active purchase and continuous improvement applied on production management. Case Studies Evaluation: In this stage, one quested for collection information about the case studies purchase function and compares them with the developed guidelines to structure the purchase function aiming the e-commerce implantation.

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4.0 DATA COLLECTION RESULTS

The company Case Study 1 is a large family company that has been actuating on civil construction sector for nineteen years. This company is specialized in vertical buildings construction, industrial and commercial, besides actuating e-arthwork and paving. This comp&y had already built more than 3000 high standard properties, achieving about 800.000m2 of ready works. The company earns about a 8 4 millions yearly and has about 600 employees. About the e-commerce utilization, the Case Study 1 didn't have any implantation project working. The present purchase process is done manually with some components done via computer.

For the research execution the main personal involved on the purchase process were interviewed: The production manager, the building works construction manager, the buyers, the project manager, the purchase manager, the purchase technician and the purchase engineers, in a total of 10 people.

The dynamic of the material purchase process of Case Study 1 had a 20 days cycle and worked as the following: the work emits a material requisition and brings to the purchase engineer, this professional analysis the order and verifies the delive~y date. When the requisition agrees with the purchase area procedures, it brings it to the purchase technician, when not, it returns to the engineer. The technician verifies the stock next to the warehouse and emits a report referring to the present stock. Next, the material requisition goes to the buyer, who is responsible to rate, analyze and make the deal with the supplier. Afterwards this order is approved by the area management and the purchase technician takes charge to send an order copy to the work, other to the supplier and the third was attached on the work's file.

The company Case Study 2 is a big company that has been actuating in the heavy construction sector for more than thirty five years. The company is specialized on building bridges, viaducts, barrages and hydro-electric power stations. The company earns about a 6 0 millions yearly and has more than 1000 direct employees.

The company is ran familiarly, its headquarters are located in Curitiba-PR. This company has branches in other four Brazilian cities. Those branches have the objective to participate in consortiums and biddings outside Paran& state, aiming to consolidate the company in the national construction market.

About the e-commerce utilition, the present company has an own purchase management system in which are controlled the orders and the bills of sale. This system is partially integrated with the system utilized by the finance area, this because there are many manual interventions to transfer data from a system to the other. The purchase involved have internet access, but don't use it to communicate with the suppliers, the whole purchase process is made through intense fax and telephone utilization.

It's important to stress that during the data collection realization, the main involved on the purchase process were interviewed: purchase manager, finance manager, technical manager, construction engineers, buyers, warehouse keepers, expedition employees, purchase assistant, administrative assistant, accountancy assistant, in a total of 15 people.

The dynamic of the material purchase process observed in the company Case Study 2, had a two days cycle and worked as the following: When the company wins the bidding for a public work construction, then starts the workforce costs center opening process. Accordimg to the material necessity, it's asked for the headquarters to buy material. The headquarter warehouse makes the material order and brings it to the buyer. This professional verifies the last material purchase costs and gets in touch with three suppliers. The suppliers send the budget to the buyer who analysis it, negotiates and makes the deal. After that, the directors approve the order and send it to the purchase support. Afterwards the supplier deliveries the material in the headquarters and this one is responsible to deliver the material at the work. The bill of sale is delivered for the purchase support which confers it and sends it for the finance sector to pay.

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5.0 CASE STUDIES RESULTS ANALYSIS

Through the done survey, one verified that besides the material purchase process of company Case Study 1 has strong points, such as: high capacity employment, employment consciousness and good place infrastructure, it's not enough to make this company to have a high level of managing maturity and material purchase process technology.

During the interviews, one verified that the purchase process of Case Study 1 was focused in fragmented negotiations, that is, the negotiations were made in each work purchase requisition.

About the information system, one verified that the present one doesn't attend the basic necessities of the material purchase process that consists in delivering the material in the right time, in the right quantity, with the customer's desired quality and without generating stocks. The material purchase operations of the company are made, in most part of the time, manually, also having few registers and information maintenance. According to reference (BAILY et. al., 1999), this way of material purchase process structuring characterizes the information system as being a typical example of "primitive stage" of maturation. About the buyers' competence stage, one verified that these worked passively, that is, the buyer receives requisitions from the administration and make the orders, the buyer receives the catalogs from the suppliers and he acquires what is specified for the lower price. One also verified that the buyer doesn't get involved during the suppliers evaluation, this evaluation is done by the user areas. The purchase process analysis of this company also showed excessive emphasis of the employees in operational activities. According to reference (ARNOLD, 1999; DIAS, 2000) this process is characteristic of the traditional sight of the material purchase process. Through the done survey, one verified that the material purchase process of the company Case Study 2 had some advantages: delivery agility, employees compromising and good area infrastructure. However, this was not enough for the company Case Study 2 to have a high material purchase process maturity level.

During the data collection one verified that the purchase process of company Case Study 2 was done fragmentally and the suppliers selection was based on pfice and accessibiity.

About the information system, one verified that there was recognition of the important information to the purchase process; however an improved manual system was utilized, beginning the utiliition of computerized systems, but not integrated to the other company systems.

About the buyers' competence stage, one verified that these worked passively, that is, the buyer receives requisitions from the administration and make the orders, the buyer passively receives the catalogs from the suppliers and he acquires what is specified for the lower price and, also, the buyer involvement during the supplier evaluation didn't exist, this evaluation was made by the works.

Analyzing the general situation of the material purchase process of the company, one also verified that this was orientated only for the operational activities. One evidenced this situation at the material requisition and bills of sale administration, and also, in little lots of material among other things.

6.0 GUIDELINES FOR THE IMPLANTATION OF E-COMMERCE ON C M L CONTRUCTION

The texts about e-commerce and lean production, the data collected on both Case Studies and the author's professional experience when we talk about the material purchase process were the knowledge origin that resulted in the guidelines.

The purchase function scenario after the e-commerce implantation will follow the logic illustrated in Picture 1.

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The guidelines to structure the purchase function were distributed in two big stages: Planning Stage and Operational Stage:

Planning stage: the purchase area must actuate in the Project and the specifications steps to aid on the choice of the material that will be on new constructions. After the material specification definition, the purchase area verifies if the registered suppliers can attend the needed materials demanded in the new job. If they can not, the purchase area looks for others suppliers to make partnerships. The purchase area also acts on the works planning stage in order to orientate the people in charge of the works about the execution strategy, focusing the fiunishing availability. After this, the purchase area makes the acquisition planning that must contain the total material per period that will be necessary for all the works. Having the quantity of material that will be acquired next period (year, semester, month) the purchase area negotiates the purchase conditions with the suppliers and asks for the directory's approbation. Operational stage (via system): during this step the purchase area aided by the suppliers, must be mounting its material catalogue. After that the material catalogue is offered in the e- commerce system adopted by the Construction Company and users (works) that are responsible for materials solicitation. The system automatically compares the solicitation with the acquisition planning. When the solicitation is according to the planning, the solicitation is automatically sent to the supplier, when not, it's sent to approbation. The supplier automatically infonns the order conditions for the user and in the pre-established date delivers the material to the user.

Acting in projects and specifications

I Formation partnership with the furnishers

I Acquisition planning realization

Aomafian in work p l a n n i n a

Negotiation and approval of the building conditions

strp 3

I I

Material catalog is offered

Delivery requirering

with the worys planning -

Figure 1 - The Purchase Function Scenario after the E-Commerce Implantation

Approval of solicitation And send it to the furnishers 9 by system

Materlal reoeivrng and follow-up by system 9

Step8

step 9

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7.0 ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDIES.

The concerned analysis of the companies Case Study was based on'the mensuration of developed guidelines' utilization level by the studied companies. This utilization level is defined in each directress stage through the utilization as in (1):

It was created a matrix for each material purchase process stage, which is part of the developed guidelines that is included in both Case Studies. All the information of this matrix was aggIutinated in an only graph (picture2) to facilitate the concerned analysis of Case Studies.

Analyzing the graph on Picture 2, one realizes that the material purchase process' average level of utilization of Case Studies 1 and 2 is low (about 55%), when compared to the developed guidelines.

C operations done

Level of use

C necessary operations I

Step 1 : Acting in projects and

Operations done (OD) = number of components of each step of the process used by companies.

Necessarv (NO) =total number of components From each step of model developed.

specifications Step 2 : Formation partnership with the

suppliers Stea 3 : Actuation in work'olannine - Step 4 : Acquisition plnnning realization Step 5 : Negotiation and approval of the

building conditions Step 6 : Material catalog is offered Step 7 : Delivery requirering and

comparison with the work's planning

Step 8 : Approval of solicitation and send it to the suppliers by system

Step 9 : Material receiving and fallow-up by system

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Figure 2 -Performance of Case Study 1 and Case Study 2

The main factors that contributed for these results refers to lack of activities and components (mainly softwares) that are part of the proactive purchase such as: material delivery solicitation emission, orders attendance, acquisition and works planning, material catalogs and big lots negotiation realization.

Picture 3 shows the developed guidelines utilization level according to the performance that each stage of the material purchase process of companies Case Study had during the present comparison.

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Step 1: Acting in projects and specifications Step 6: Material cnfalog is offered Step 2: Formation partnership with the h i s h e n Step 7: Delivery requirering and mmparison with the work's planning Step 3: Actuation in work planning Step 8: Approval ofsolicitntion and send it to the funishen by system Step 4: Acquisition planning realization Step 9: Material receiving and follow-up by system Step 5: Negotiation and approval of the building conditions

Figure 3 -Performance of Cases Study

These graphs show which are the stages of material purchase process of Case Studies that reached better or worst performance. Analyzing Case Studies 1 and 2, one verified that in both cases, the worst performance stage refers to stage 7 (Delivery solicitation emissions and comparison with the work's planning). In the present process of the Case Studies, the user emits a purchase solcitation, from this point starts the purchase process routine. With the implementation of the pro-active purchase, the user emits a material delivery solicitation. It is important that the stages 3 ,4 and 6 must be done according to the developed guidelines, so that the stage 7 can reach higher guidelines utilization level, once those three stages are essential and have direct impact over stage 7. An interesting characteristic on Case Studies 1 and 2 analysis is that in both the cases the two stages that reached the highest guidelines utilization level were stage 1 (actuation in projects and specifications) and stage 4 (acquisition planning realization). This analysis shows that the companies have conditions to implant the pro-active purchase, once the companies already have great part of the necessary components for the realization of these stages, as illustrates attached 4.

8.0 CONCLUSION

This article reports the existence of a significant volume of professional practices and competences that need to be incorporated in the traditional civil construction material purchase processes in order to prepare this process to the entire e-commerce implantation. Generally, among the identified practices and competences one can mention that the purchase area must actuate on the project and specification stage and in works' planning realization. Besides that, this area must do the acquisition planning and, mainly, focus the efforts to partnership formations with the suppliers, once this stage is crucial for the pro-active purchase and e-commerce implantation success.

In order to structure the material purchase process of construction companies were proposed guidelines for the e-commerce implantation in the construction industry. Among the conclusions that one can obtain about the proposed guidelines, are detached:

Changes in the purchasing way: the developed guidelines show a signif~cant changing in the way to buy materials. In the consulted bibliography referring to the traditional purchase (reactive) and the pro-active purchase one verified that the user emits a "material purchase solicitation". During the conception of the guidelines was considered that the user will emit a "material delivery solicitation", once the negotiations and the dealing were previously made. This way, one concludes that this changing on the way to buy is a contribution for literature about material administration on civil construction.

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Utilization aspects: the developed guidelines can be utilized by construction companies that want or not to implant the e-commerce in the material purchase process. These guidelines can be useful for the companies that wish to pattem and verify the efficiency of the purchase process, for example, companies that wish to implant the IS0 9000. The developed guidelines' utilization level analysis also can be utilized as a way to measure the construction companies' maturity about the strategic concepts utilization. It's important to remember that the developed guidelines were based on the literature revision, on case studies routine and on author's experience. To verify the effectiveness of these guidelines it's necessary to apply them on companies' material purchase process. Deficient competences on construction: with the guidelines implantation to structure the material purchase process, the focus of the developed activities by the purchasers of civil construction industry is changed (ex: large lots negotiation, planning realization, relationship with suppliers, etc.) and it starts to have a new fundamental role in this process. The use of the - * proposed guide l i s demands a competences changing so that it'sAn&cessary to make a changing in the purchase professionals' competence curriculum including negotiation, planning, project and specification and mainly techniques for partnership crekion with the suppliers activities.

Due to this change of competence, the construction companies' buyer's profile must change. The buyer is not only concerned in receiving the requisitions and purchasing the materials, but he must transform himself in a dealer focused on company' strategical targets and not only on the material unitary cost.

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