Part 8, Advanced Civil Construction, 台科大高等土木施工學教材(2022) 

MT KAO (Blog: http://mtkaoforum31.blogspot.tw/)
(mtkaoforum31@gmail.com)

2)  Machine:

(1) Prototype, bespoke; portable, fixed.

a. Machine, prototype

People in construction industry need to know machine, plant and equipment for their manipulation, size, cost, productivity and supplies required. 

The general contractors used to own machines, in the days they're expensive relative to human cost.

When a country starts to build infrastructures, they need to move earth, lift heavy weight, paving concrete and asphalt, and confront with water or other inaccessible.

There're machines typical to do these jobs and we call them the prototypes: bulldozers, cranes, graders, trucks, mixing plants, paving machines, compactors, working boats etc. 

The works are many in fledging economies, so the machines are welcome for repeating usages in seemingly endless construction. They’re powerful to replace manpower and quick to deliver the landmark projects. 

So when machines with international brands such as Caterpillar and Komatzu appear at construction sites, they symbolize the government’s commitment to the economic growth.

b. Machine, bespoke

As countries proceed to build infrastructures projects of more sophisticated nature, the machines and the method employed may need special design and fabrication, we called the order and the makes bespoken. The usages are limited unless market is big and construction is in succeeding, but it will finish the works for that human won’t be accessible or to do. The most obvious one is tunnel boring machine of different diameters and shapes at restrained spaces. 

c. Machine, fixed type, mobilization and assembling cost

Most of machines can be transported to construction sites, either by self-driving or mounting on trailer for long distance, we call them portable, such as dump trucks, excavators, dozers, loaders, etc. For mixing plants, TBM, tower crane, or machines too big for transportation, they're divided in parts or compartments, and then hauled to the site for erection; we call them fixed type of machine.

Engineers must take into consideration the cost and time required to mobilize, install and demobilize construction machine. Sometimes in the remote area or hazardous places disembarkation and the installation of plants and equipment can be difficult and costly that the engineers have to think about the solution. The damages possibly incurred to the parts or entire plants during transportation shall be foreseen and at least insured against accidents. 

Also, people need to know the value of certain fixed plants decimated very much in single usage, and the remaining value after one project could be only the material cost after dissection.

施工機具或設備主要有定型與訂製兩種，前者如挖土機、吊車或打樁機等，各有性能適應範圍，買者可依需求購置；後者如隧道鑽掘機，橋梁架設設備等，需依預定完成構造物尺寸、性質、周邊情況與操作安全性等，特別設計製造，非現貨供應。施工機具有運到工地馬上可以使用，或需在現地安裝、試車，移動與拆遷，等兩大類。工程師擬訂計畫或投標時，需考慮動、復員時間與成本；因機具租賃或外包普遍，故此部分被認為含於租金或外包單價，常被忽略。

(2) Operation, maintenance and repair.

a. Owning Cost: Depreciation, Interest, Productivity

In the days when the value of machine and spare parts far exceeded cost of people serving them: operators and crew for maintenance and repair. Only companies big enough would buy machines as main asset and source of revenue. 

For two historical reasons the machine ownership had to be overtaken by specialty companies: 1. Facing rising human cost and fastidious labor and safety laws, only companies able to concentrate effort to manage problems related to operation, maintenance and repair are in a position to handle the machines. 2. Company owning big fleet of machine wouldn’t have chances to share costs with other companies through rental arrangement.

The machine owning cost shall be calculated as buying price plus interest payment over the machine's service life. One is called flat depreciation method, use the buying price divided by estimated remaining service life; the other is weighted depreciation method, assuming the first 2 or 3 years the machine will have high productivity and place the cost depreciated certain fraction more in such 2 or 3 years. 

However, the taxation offices legally also have power to decide amount permitted for depreciation for different equipment. It affects how the owners should have decided on to charge their equipment.

Interest payment can be considered for each company outside of the machine cost calculation.

持有機具所需購置費用，其將產生利息等費用。不論機具是否使用，其即有折舊成本，依機具性質或政策考量，其可採平均與加速方式，計算折舊成本。政府稅務單位亦有其折舊年限規定。

b. Maintenance and Repair Cost

Machines need operators to move them, the owners must pay to the operators the hourly wage and overtime. And machines also need daily, or periodical maintenance; the related cost are the wages of the workers responsible for maintenance and amounts covering for consumable, lubricant and tool. 

Repair cost in general is low when machine is new, but it will be accelerated when machine's condition become less fair in later part of work life. The elements of repair cost consist of mainly two parts; one is labor, and the other will be that of spare parts. In developed economy, the repair cost shall be between 100% and 200% of the initial cost according to statistic, depending on different equipment. 

In developing countries where machine price is high compared to human cost, the wage of operator can be 4-5 times of that of manual labor and output of machines will be higher than what can be achieved in advanced economy. Because when machine is expensive, the owners don’t care to give higher payment to operators, which can be easily covered by revenues from higher machine productivity.

維修成本最重要為零件與人工。工資較貴經濟體，詳細檢查耗時耗費，零件採用整組換掉方式。開發中國家工資象隊機具成本低，給工人薪資可以較高，以要求機具產出效率。

(3) Rental and owning.

Started from 70's last century, general contractors ceased to own construction machine themselves in consideration of big investment over uncertain business opportunity, difficulties to handle labor relationship with operators, maintenance and repair workers, and judgement based on specialty knowledge over replacement or repair of major parts.

The bosses of equipment rental companies always start to acquire construction machines with blessing from big construction companies guarantee the continuity of the works. It's important in Asian countries that this kind of company were operator com maintenance workers, being able to keep equipment and trucks in good conditions with their entrepreneurship.

Furthermore, they may work with their supra contractor on quantity and rate. The arrangement is costly efficient but not assured schedule wise especially massive amount of mechanic works to proceed.

 
It is proven that the general contractors have no way to replace the small owner for construction machine maneuver involving operation/ maintenance/repair. Nowadays the rental rates can be as high as that 2 years charges may be equal to the buying price of a plant.

分工專業化結果，大公司不再持有機具，甚至大型設備。向租賃公司租用或工作外包，成為解決之道。

(4) Construction method and machine selected.

a. Selection of Work Method and Construction Machines.

Designing an efficient construction method is key to successful deliver of infrastructure works: right construction sequence, get through most critical part of work, minimize undue outside interference, and avoid hazardous incident from happening shall be considered when the plan is drawn.

Engineers may have wide range to select machines for construction method; however, it will be influenced by the market availability for machine itself and operators, for example, in Taiwan excavators are everywhere but dozers and loaders not frequently to see contrary to North America.

 

The reasons could be incidental that maybe the ones first introduce them to Taiwan prefer them and others just followed, or the operators are dexterous to maneuver the machines in congest excavation site in Taiwan.

Market size and available replacement could play a part, the use of tower crane was another example, because the maintenance and mobilization cost shared by small number become significant and mobile crane can be substitute, so the tower cranes are not so many in the island.

 
In Taiwan, selection of machine once accepted by the officials, budgeting and supervision for that particular item will be almost fixed in public works. 

Changes to another machine or method will have to be accommodated to the bureaucracy; adding another point that people and work gangs aren’t so innovative to create new construction plans. Another proof that civil contracts is local and conventional.

施工方法與設備選擇關係工程成敗，工地與工作特性應考量，市場情形與業主認知亦是關鍵。

b. Machine and Manual Labor

In countries like India, machines face strong competition from man power; Bulldozers and earth moving machine are levied with high import duty and surcharges, that men and their assistant with hoes and dustpan will have chances to outperform construction method based mainly on mechanization as cost is concerned.

When owning a machine become expensive, the efficiency will decide its survivability.

 
So, in the case of India construction market, the wages pay to the machine operators won’t be significant compare to the revenue generated by extra output brought by the operator’s better performance. Thus, the wages of operators can be 5 times of the common labors in developing economies.

經濟型態不一樣，人與機具亦有競爭；機具作業手、保養工相對於非技術工在較後進經濟中給付會較高，但對機械之生產力要求亦會較高。

c. Cost factors in Prototype and Bespoken Machines

There is situation that prototype machines will not meet construction requirement, the bespoken one will be the solution. 

But engineers need to know: 1. Lead time to design and build the plant is long; they’re not available at once like ordinary plants on the market. 2. When one part goes down, entire system will idle or fail. 3. Though people will try to re-use it for next project but the chance is slim. 4. The whole value of the bespoken plant can be high and when it scraps after one project, the depreciation allowed can hardly be claimed. 5. Turnkey contracts become popular these days; the contractors will have chances to design structure sections optimal and fit into owned bespoken equipment.

設計與建造非制式施工設備時間長，工程師應估算。施工機具系統中一部分或某單獨設備故障，整體完全無產出，故需考慮備用。變數太多，非制式施工設備於次一工程在使用機會不大。也因此非制式施工設備之殘值，承商不能考慮太多。但統包式契約投標時，承包商即可考慮將所有非制式施工設備用於工程施工。

3)  Material

(1) Local and Conventional Material shall be chosen for Construction.

a. Transportation Cost and Locally Available Material 

Material for construction is bulky and transportation cost is high, so they have to be obtained from local for maximum extent as quality and property may not differ so much from the outside world. 

Attention shall be drawn to the fact that sometimes the overwhelmed material requirement of a gigantic project may tilt the supply/demand balance drastically in an isolated area. Investment in term of time and money shall be considered before projects start to assure a quality and punctual completion. 

However, material prices can be fluctuated from time to time either in the case of limited supply, such as aggregate and sand, or as a result of global boom like steel and rebar. It can be deadly to an ignorant contractor, that the risk can only be addressed through contracts with so called escalation clause giving minimum protection for the builders.  

Because the projects are there for economic development so that the employment of local artisans and labors shall be considered as early as in the design stage. 

Engineers must think about the possibility to use traditional technique involving local people and product even to the point to edit the specification to show respect to the tradition. For example, the Baku piles were used in Southeast Asia for soil retaining and promote compaction effect in embankment, it has been used in international class projects for its convenience to install.

營建廠商需儘量考慮使用本土常使用材料，設計者自開立規範開始，建造商於購買使用即應注意及此。習慣、文化、可得，以及龐大運輸成本都是使用本土材料之有利因素。

b. Continuous Evolution for Material used in Construction

In old days, human's weight lifting capacity was limited, long distance hauling capability also prohibitively expensive and could only go through waterway. People had to use small and light material from local, like timer, brick and mortars for buildings and structures in most of the cases. 

Granite and basalt were used in part of Europe especially for churches, castles or monumental structures. Wooden structure was erected in Asia for aristocrats and land lord, but the timber size reduced as a result of deforestation. 

In general, the masses had to live in hut and dens for which they built with any material they could pick up from nearby area. 

Discovery and use of steel in civil engineering works change the world. They replace traditional construction material resulting in great cost and time saving. Steel in the form of rebar, sections and strains give buildings and structure new dimensions and spatial aesthetics. 

People still think of innovation for construction material better than steel, such as fiber glass or high strength concrete, commercially one day it would be popular as steel used today.

Mankind are smart to utilize everything from nature but sometimes it can be tragic. For instance, there’re countries like Bangladesh where hard stones and sand difficult to obtain. So, the local people extract and burn clay from alluvium into brick like material. Then women and children will use hammers to break them into sizes of and utilize them as aggregates and sand. Then they mix them with cement to obtain concrete. 

The solution risks human life because buildings and bridges sometimes collapse for the weak strength those improvised materials provided. It's wrong type of localization; poverty force people to continue the practice.

文明進步讓建材來源更加廣泛，不惟建材本身強度、品質提高，其製造及用於施工之方法與設備，乃至構造物需求標準之提高，都讓人類更有選擇。

c. Green Construction

Nowadays, carbon reduction is an issue, the material used in the projects shall be considered climate friendly, and engineers need green knowledge to incorporate construction material made from renewable, waste or need less processing.

Commercial calculation won’t be the only consideration.

減碳及綠色施工要求，亦將造成營建產業之變革。

(2). Material and Equipment incorporated into Permanent Project

a. Project More Sophisticated 

As economy advances in a country, the construction work won't be simple structural work again; many systems and equipment will be installed in addition to steel and concrete. So, procurement will be more complicated than simply clearing the composition, dimension and strength of construction material. 

When proper delivery of system and equipment, and their installation, operation and maintenance, is desired; prior check and mutual commitment shall be made with reliable makers or specialty contractors even before the contract is awarded.

 
An experienced general contractor knowing the risk implied in the contract signed with ever demanding client will seek teammates working in different field to discharge the huge responsibility for successful delivery. The cooperation may include consortium, main and sub-tier contractual relationship, or various form of partnership suitable in each case since before the tender. 

b. Nominated Subcontractor

In practice the owner may actually designate the maker of the system and equipment based on confidence and trust the brand bearers have exhibited. After award the winning contractor has to sign the sub or supply contract with the specified makers at least to overtake the partial responsibility of delivery, which always include risks begin with engineering, then making, shipment, installation, commissioning, test run and until operation. 

In other words, the signing parties has to share whatever may have happened with the owner: strike, sabotage, mistakes, bad performance, act of god, all kind of disruption that may occur.

However, during budget establishment, there will be bureaucrats, design consultant, auditors and financing people reject the idea that the contractors need overhead to handle the nominated subcontract. They consider the frontage contractor won't add substantially anything and the following up the delivery is their obligation.

The denying of invisible cost stemmed from the days the economic output mainly counted on agriculture and manufacturing (Physiocracy). The ignorance causes big problem in pushing the works forward; and a further proof that the construction works sometimes need cultural and conceptual fix.

因工程大型化，複雜化，尤其運維之數位化、自動化使永久性設備及材料不再限於傳統營建商面對之鋼筋、水泥，業主與設計者常需於施工標開始之前即要決定供應重要建材或各種子系統之廠商，與他們談好價錢與重要契約條件，於主承商得標後轉到主契約下，要求主包商負管理、協調責任。

4)  Money

(1) Payment: cash, in kinds or goods (barter), deferred (BT), franchise revenue (BOT, PMI).

Men work for money, only after the contractor can get full payment the completion of the project is meaningful to him.

 

Only after the contractor can get full payment, the completion of the project is meaningful to him.

 

And because the construction contracts are with big money, public or private owners will choose forms of payment according to their financial conditions. The contractors will be paid in cash, kinds or goods (barter), deferred payment after completion and transfer to the owner (BT), or through franchise revenue (BOT, PMI).

 

It also possible that the form of payment can be mixed between the above-mentioned methods. The contractor must evaluate its own ability to accept the form of payment, for example, when he would have accepted the payment in crude oil over long period, he has to evaluate the possible oil price fluctuation and the extent and cost that he would have been protected by the futures.

 

The reliability of the owners, government or private companies must be taken into account.

契約付款最為重要，除傳統付款方式，有以物易物、遲延付款、特許權等方式。承商需注意自己能力，並了解業主信用。

(2) Standard international contracts to regulate: FIDIC, NEC3 (New Engineering Contract3), AIA(American Institute of Architects), JCT forms of Contract(Joint Contract Tribunal)...etc.

It's not enough that the contractor will get the owner's pledge to pay him. It depends on the contract conditions through which the contractors get paid. Normally we'd have type of contracts such as: FIDIC, NEC3(New Engineering Contract3, used for civil works in UK., Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, the language of it is simpler and the signing parties are said to be more equal), AIA(American Institute of Architects, form of contract popular in USA.), JCT forms of Contract(Joint Contract Tribunal, for architectural works in UK.)...etc.

As projects are different for each other, the contracts need to be modified to fit the situation; they will be reflected in so called Special Application (or Conditions) and leave the General Application (or Conditions) unscratched. Whatever slight difference in Special Application will result in big departure in reality so that the contractor needs to read carefully even the author of standard contract or the Owner would have claimed they're the friendliest contract terms.

According to the payment conditions, the contract can be divided in forms like the conventional Rates and Quantity, Lump Sum, Guaranteed Maximum Price, Alliance, Cost and Cost Based, etc.

契約形式甚多在台灣有政府範本、國際人士許多引用FIDIC,，英國協土木工程多採用NEC3，建築則有JCT範本，美國人則用建築學會之AIA。另依付款形式則有Rates and Quantity, Lump Sum, Guaranteed Maximum Price, Alliance, Cost and Cost Based等。

(3) Non-technical People to Control Money.

Compared to the old days now that big component of contractual money pays for intangible part of the project in the name to protect every party involved. The added value including the cost to acquire money, assure the delivery of the works, O&M of the project and even to the extent to guarantee the products or the purposed functioning of the project will be welcome by the customers. Thus, the added values are created.

But it is true that engineers are not playing the dominating roles in construction business because the invention as said is from improvement of technology, business skill, capital fluidity, that financial, legal and management people intrude and colonize uncompromisingly.

Though money is everywhere (QE?), but they get more respected. The so-called experts like to invent ideas to attract the capital, they provide guarantees, mitigations and assurance to fascinate investors. Under the trend, lots of the construction projects are controlled by hordes of non-technical people who can confuse the investors. 

For example, the government has plain financial resource for construction project and spent almost exclusively for construction related items last century. But now, big chunk of them will be paid as financial cost for BOT and/or PMI as people argue private fund is useful to create more public works for the benefit of the people.

A decent part of money will go to the so called independent third parties for their certificates, report and affidavits at non bargain-able cost (handled by the non-technical people) for the security of capital while the construction hands need to compete each other.

Engineers must realize, somehow, they’re now playing secondary role in the construction project; but because of it they could concentrate in technical matters and become a better manager than people of other disciplines invading the profession. 

面對變化層出不窮的契約形式，工程師必須承認非工程專業人員在契約與務款方面已多少取得主導權，以往只花在工程的款項必須支付財務、法律與商業人士，以保護業主為名所花的種種費用。他們必須有信心，且自覺工程成本也只有工程專業人士才能做好，才能重拾主導地位。

5) Market 

(1). Contractors of Lemming Mentality

As it's said above, there're 2,800 strong Class "A" contractors in Taiwan to apportion a small market; the threshold to go into the construction market isn't high as capital (relatively low to the contract amount) is concerned. When they get contracts, the contractors will find many sub-tier contractors more than eager to share risks and sometimes loss.

 

The running cost for a Class "A" contractor is low in Taiwan, the expense will be fee paid to the registered PE, a tiny office, plus a clerk to answer the bell. When the bosses cannot get business, pay such the low cost for "hibernation", will allow them hanging on for long.

 

The sleeping contractors will wake up when they get contracts and then to recruit managers and engineers to activate the company. Taiwanese people aren’t against shoot and off employment as most of them like to stay in the area like big city or home town.

 

So, the majority of the contractors are "entrepreneur" type. They're competitive and spiral down ward the awarding price. The practice is not possible to nurture big contractors with know-hows and experience in the market.

 

But once it is provoked by market turmoil destined to happen every few years, such as sudden sabotage of dump trucks of 1990 (resulted in soil haulage hike and aggregate short supply), or sharp escalation of steel price in 2006, the contractors wouldn’t have sufficient contingency provision will go for broke. The number culled will be significant but it will rise again if there is market re-juvenescence.

 

The process repeats again and again; the contractors go up and down riding on the changing tides. The one with bad luck can capsize, but too many of them survive. One moment, the contractors' number will be swelling like lemmings grow to incredible number in short spring time; the other moment the nature will drive some of them jumping the cliff and the rest follow subconsciously.

 

The market is still there for another cycle; but the professionals wouldn't have chance to lead the trend while public has to bear most of the cost that speculators should have to pay.

台灣營建業者，數目太多，都以中小企業心態經營，無風險概念，進出市場容易。非專業但樂意投機者能夠生存對注重品質，正科出身之工程師與工程品質是威脅。

(2) Style of Competition: Lowest Bid, Evaluated Lowest Bid, Value for Money.

The problem of construction industry in Taiwan is over competition. Lowest bid is blamed because under the bureaucratic system the budgets were considered to be right and served as bench mark for the contractors. The winning price was considered as true market cost or the officials follow them shall be subject to official chastisement.

 

Automatically, people, the budget builders or the tenderers will consider it as a bench mark for similar tenders. Vicious cycle begins and the awarded prices have to wait for another episode close to force majeure for correction; of course, it's always late.

 

Evaluated lowest bid is taken with the hope that the best contractor and their offer can be selected as the champion to win the tender; however, the selected may not be the most outstanding one, and the judges' supposed imparity is often challenged.

 

Authorities had sometimes to amend the criteria with the aim that it must be more fitful for particular tender but more susceptible to criticism. So, the evaluated lowest bid system stopped at 2007 in Taiwan, and BOT and PMI also suspended. The lowest bid tendering system prevailed for the next decade.

 

It is true that in recent years the contractors don't make money. They kept tendering and performed the contracts only to sustain the company. They couldn’t afford to pay senior engineers because of the poor overhead earned; the result is the loss of expertise.

 

There will be limit to which the contractors take the construction contracts because they can’t make profit after all. The result is tenders "aborted" or the execution in chaos. So, the evaluated lowest bid is coming back. There’s possibility and also a reasonable hope that the authority may get lessons from flaws happened in the past.

 

The criteria to select the best tenderer for the tender shall be rationalized, especially that the persons to be assigned as "judges“, shall be men of integrity.

 

Current tendering rules propping the idea for EPC will nurture bigger and more public construction companies instead of the small entrepreneurs who always cut corners of the fair competition is said to be the solution to correct the market for persistent fragmentation.

 

It could be a well wish and hind sight, but seeing the implementation of FCPA (of the US) and similar laws of various states, the big and public companies can be supervised more thoroughly in the entire process.  

 

The final goal for government spending shall be "Value for Money", in which, the project completed will worth money spent. It’s idealistic but we suppose the introduction of more liberal ideas, moderate as it may be, will bring in the progress.

競標評審，由最低標轉為最有利標，最終目標應為「物超所值」，如此市場才能進步、正常。

(3) Elements of Competition.

A  market considered normal will be the one that the consumer is most important. For public works the government is single biggest buyer, he can draw the lines to select the contractors based on their apparent capability, past experience and planned execution plan for the tendered project.

 
It means the government can define a clear and objective criterion for elements such as price, technical approaches, time of completion, safety record, experience in similar works, existing work loading, managerial and technical resource in hands, records of contract disputes (with owners) …etc.
 
For international tenders, the owners usually will analyze and evaluate the tenders according to the criteria established objectively. The scores and the tabulation can then be submitted to higher ranking people, maybe people with reputation for review.
 
The process will avoid complain that the judgement in supporting contract award is made subjectively so as to prevent the outside criticism and interference.
 
It's true that during the selection of the winning contractor, the authority and invited judges have to "play god" to weed up the weaker or the unfit, and the result maybe that the selected aren’t the perfect ones because many factors are involved during tender period and later execution. Especially in Taiwan, public and the industry may not be patient and those who shall be responsible are always susceptible to flak.
 
However, the rules shall be respected and endured some time to see what if it will change the construction industry players and whether or not that the professionals will be allowed to lead the ring.

承包商有不同能力、履歷、對招標工程更應有最佳執行計畫；故除價格外，招標者應確實審核承商投標文件中所提供之工法規畫、過去完工時程、安衛紀錄、經驗、在建工程、現有技術及管理人才等資料。一般國際標審核，機關或其委託工作團隊，必將就投標廠商提供文件所顯示，根據前面所訂標準評分，再送高階或禮聘有名望人士複核，與台灣目前逕請評審委員評審，主、客觀程度有差，是不同之所在。

(4) Defying the International Norms.

Until now, the developed countries especially Europeans and Americans have big say on the codes, standards, disputes solutions and financial arrangement of the international projects. They are the establishment to enjoy privileges and power more than their competency in the industry.

 

If the Asian contractors want to go overseas or their owners ask them to copy the western practice for execution of the project domestically, they may have the problems to follow specifications and conditions strange to them.

 

They won’t have sufficient chances or clout to interpret the contract even try to show they’re familiar with the project and have confidence to complete them as required by the owner following the western philosophy to guarantee the success.

 

Despite they have good engineering knowledge, construction skill and the ability to do the works substantially, they suffer considerable losses in the construction market, international or a transplantation from foreign by a client insist to do so.

 

We believe it's not an intended design promoted by certain races or cultures but it’s difficult, if not impossible, to change the established practice immediately. Because there is humanity element in the capitalist system, that the distrustfulness is used everywhere in the administration of construction contract in the name to safeguard the people’s interest that the concerned parties have to accept.

 

There could be solutions, one is forceful and intransigent, complete "westernization" like the South Koreans indisputably good in construction of high rise building and complicated plant.

 

The other is to change the game rules as Chinese have approached in their Belt and Road Initiatives: loan, specification, contract terms, O&M, arbitration, success or failure, remain to be seen.

 

People have to recognize that many of our practice in construction business, is originally very local, but add up with many western flavors when economy grows. That now we think it’s universal, then you modify them, or they change you.

 

亞洲包商到海外，或本國業主要求其完全依先進國家執行該等工程方式於國內執行，會有對規範感到陌生，履約與工作經驗殊異等困難發生，因而產生虧損，且無法讓業主放心。實際上新興國家承包商，實體工程施作能力已臻水準，只是在文化、語言或管理上無法「西化」，而國際工程之技術、法律與財務制度卻是先至的歐美工程國家，從援助、貸款開始，所訂定，用他們的制度為制度；故至今他們還存有影響力，甚至宰制力。不可否認，在很多情況下，第一世界廠商之實質施工能力與效力已退化，但其已在建制中占一席之地，故在國際工程上仍享若干附加價值，並因此成為新興國家廠商承包國際工程的障礙。要打破這個局面，則需如韓國廠商在高層建築與重工廠房上，相對西方競爭者取得優勢，或如中國「一帶一路」，從出資、技術規範到契約驗收全部按照自己標準，才有取勝機會。