Location-based micro-milestones fair sub-contractor payment

This paper introduces the new concept of location-based micro-milestones and argues for their use in achieving fair payment for subcontractors. It integrates location-based management (LBM) theory and Business Process Management (utilising YAWL: Yet Another Workflow Language) to illustrate how location-based BIMs can be utilised for the effective and fair payment systems. It outlines the rationale for linking LBM and YAWL methodologies to develop a BIM alternative solution to a traditional industry problem of late payment for sub-contractors. Location-Based Management methodologies are now available in the powerful scheduling and control software (Vico Office by Vico Software). Originally developed in Finland, it has now become part of the BIM movement through integration into 5D environments (3D + time + cost), using location-based quantity data (from 3D BIM) and location-based scheduling (4D). While LBM is being rapidly adopted in industry, expansion of theory in workflow knowledge based on data from real projects remains limited. YAWL has a well-established foundation based on concurrency theory and workflow patterns derived from research. It is informed by experiences with languages supported by contemporary BPM systems and it has a formal semantics. Linking these two methodologies could provide a BIM solution to the problem of late payment to sub-contractors. The YAWL support environment could be extended to provide a workable interface for auto-generating construction payment processes from digital models based on LBM defined micro-milestones. The visualisation of the YAWL interface and related workflows could be used to both inform the analysis and to communicate the results. This paper suggests a study to obtain proof of concept that LBM and YAWL can create an auto-generated certification and payment system for sub-contractors. Results could be configurable reference process models and workable prototype tools that trigger immediate payment of completed work according to the completion of location-based micro-milestones.