Optimization of Contractor's S-Curve

While striving to satisfy owners’ needs, to minimize construction cost and pursue the maximum profits under a fixed contract amount and duration is always one of the most important objectives of contractors. Only a sound work plan, which includes optimal working sequences and perfect timing for executing each individual activity, can enhance the work efficiency and enable contractors to fulfill the contract at the lowest cost. This research develops a contractors’ optimal S-curve model, which can optimize the allocation of resources along the project schedule, under major assumptions that for a specific task, there is a trade-off relationship in terms of work productivity between two different types of resources and there are costs for resource mobilization and demobilization. The S-curve established can be used as a baseline to measure the extra cost caused by changes and disruptions in the course of construction and the overall project performance at the completion of the project.