Project logistics: Integrating the procurement and construction processes

The paper presents a stochastic model to plan the delivery of material to a building site, in view of ensuring the continuity of the construction process. The model assesses the amount of material that should be available at the site at a given time to guarantee the desired level of protection against changes in delivery dates and the rate of progress. The model may be used in early project planning, when detailed analysis based on network techniques is not yet available, and represents a basic tool for the aggregate management of the procurement, expediting and transport activities involving materials delivery to sites.