Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-023-01040-x

RESEARCH PAPER

Evaluating the Engineering‑Procurement‑Construction Approach

and Whole Process Engineering Consulting Mode in Construction
Projects
Zizhen Shen1 · Jingyang Zhao2 · Man Guo3

Received: 3 November 2022 / Accepted: 8 January 2023

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shiraz University 2023

Abstract
The construction projects require the analysis and application of modern management knowledge to identify the design and
construction process. Construction projects have a set of goals and constraints that are a predetermined framework of technol-
ogy, arrangements, and organizational processes. In this study, a combination framework has been developed based on the
engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) approach and whole process engineering consulting (WPEC) mode. The
effect of the proposed model has been evaluated on construction project management at Quzhou Central Hospital Project,
located in Quzhou city, China. This paper aims to the introduction of relevant theories, combined with the case analysis of
the advantages and disadvantages of the construction project management using the EPC + WPEC. Through the introduction
and analysis of the whole process engineering consulting service, the results showed that EPC projects are more suitable
for WPEC mode, and the full combination of advanced contracting mode and project management mode is of practical
significance to improve the comprehensive benefits of the project.

Keywords  Whole process · EPC contracting · Integrated management · Engineering consulting service

1 Introduction Wang et al. (2016b) reported that contractors' design

At present, with the rapid development of the construc-
tion industry, the scope and scale of construction projects
continue to expand (Chidambaram and Tamilmaran 2020;
Prabaharan and Shanmugapriya 2022), and the adoption of
appropriate modes in construction projects has significantly
improved the cost, quality, safety, progress and other aspects
of the construction project (Albayrak 2020; Banihashemi
and Khalilzadeh 2022). The application of technologies in
project management has been considered in several studies
(Menegon et al. 2022).
* Zizhen Shen
18799830@qq.com
1
Architectural Engineering Institute, Zhejiang College
of Construction, Zhejiang, China
2
Zhejiang Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural
Development, Zhejiang, China
3
School of Economics and Management, Qiannan Normal
University for Nationalities, Guizhou, China
management should focus on four factors: planning and exe-
cuting, resolving disputes, optimizing design, and promoting
techniques. The results showed that partnering can not only
significantly facilitate design management, thereby improv-
ing project outcomes, but also directly promote project per-
formances and create long-term strategic benefits. Mob-
alleghi et al. (2022) developed a new framework to estimate
effective parameters of the synergy of building management
and evaluating the main infrastructure required to apply an
integrated model of application of these techniques in con-
struction projects. Moradi et al. (2022) developed a method
of controlling and evaluating the project success to use pro-
ject management. The results were applied for improving the
managerial components of construction industry. Lu et al.
(2022) considered the five traditional management modes
to propose a management system for construction workers
behaviors. A case study was undertaken based on a prefab-
ricated residential building construction project, and the
theoretical model was verified by comparison with empiri-
cal data. The results were useful to transform construc-
tion enterprises and effective formulation of management
strategies. Rastegar Moghaddam et al. (2021) examined a

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multi-objective billiards-inspired optimization algorithm in
three constrained construction project management prob-
lems including construction site layout planning, building
materials design, and project scheduling.
Engineering-Procurement-Construction (EPC) approach
has become commonly adopted in international construction
markets, in which contractors bear enormous risks (Wang
et al. 2016a). EPC general contracting can carry out overall
planning and coordination of the whole project, which can
effectively deal with the connection of the project, reduce
the intermediate process of procurement and construction,
and successfully deal with the conflict between practicality,
technology and security in the project, which is widely used
in practical projects (Kabirifar and Mojtahedi 2019; Li 2019;
Zhao 2021). Due to the scale and complexity of the EPC
project, the characteristics of the pieces of our traditional
type, separate consultation mode and grueling test project
management model is put forward to adapt to the devel-
opment of the construction engineering consulting market
demand, adopt the whole process of engineering consulting
has become an inevitable trend, and also received the gov-
ernment's strong support and promotion.
Yan et al. (2014) introduced the development of the gen-
eral contracting management of an EPC project in China.
Realization of standardization, elaboration and informati-
zation management were probed in conjunction with prac-
tical management experiences to achieve quality and effi-
cient management of the EPC project. Zhang and Xi (2018)
evaluated the cooperation between different functional
departments to success among all phase by the relation-
ship between ethical climate in EPC project’s general con-
tractor and cooperation within its different branches. Shen
et al. (2018) emerged an interface management to reduce
interface-related issues and risks by facilitating communica-
tion and coordination among diverse parties, particularly in
Fig. 1  Comparison between
whole process engineering
consultation and traditional
construction mode
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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
engineering, procurement, and construction projects. This
framework could help to develop effective strategies for
motivating and supporting interface management behaviors.
1.1 The Whole Process of Engineering Consultation
A whole process, the definition of the whole process of engi-
neering consulting enterprise refers to the whole process of
consultation or a consortium to participate in the whole life
cycle of projects, and in different stages (decision-making
stage, implementation stage, and operational phase) for
owner side provide a wide range of consulting and services
(e.g., investment consulting, survey, design, supervision,
procuratorial, and operational cost) (Pang et al. 2003; Zhao
and Lei 2019). In order to improve the project efficiency
and quality as the goal, the project planning and design, so
that the comprehensive benefit of the project to achieve the
optimal (Yan 2020; Fang 2021).
The whole process of engineering consulting through
the integration of independent consulting and services to
carry out a full range of project management, throughout
the whole life cycle of the project, the early, middle and late
stages of the project continue to provide services throughout
the whole process; With the integration of independent con-
sulting enterprises, through the formation of a consortium
and other methods of bidding agency, design, supervision,
cost and other individual enterprises integration; With a
variety of organizational patterns, partial integration or full
integration can be used to adapt to the multi-scheme of dif-
ferent projects (Yang 2021; Song 2021).
In the traditional construction mode, the application of
each specialty in the project is carried out independently
and separately (Fig. 1). There is atable lack of communica-
tion among the specialties, which leads to great manage-
ment pressure from the owner and low efficiency of project
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
management. However, the whole process engineering
consulting mode integrates each specialty and relies on its
specialty in management, technology, economy and other
aspects. At the same time, it has significant advantages in
controlling project investment cost, meeting quality require-
ments, managing schedule requirements and controlling
safety risks.
1.2 Overview of EPC Model
EPC mode is a mode of project general contracting, involv-
ing design, procurement, construction and other areas of
contracting. By contracting the design, procurement, con-
struction of the entire construction project, and the quality of
the contracted project, safety, construction period, cost, etc.,
and ultimately to the owner to submit a product in-line with
the contract, meet the use of the function, with the use of the
conditions and passed the acceptance of the completion. The
features of EPC mode can be summarized as follow (Li and
Huo 2021; Cong and Zhuang 2020):
(1) EPC general contractor will comprehensively manage
the overall execution of the project, instead of car-
rying out the project construction as an independent
contractor, so that it can make full use of its initiative
and advanced management practice ability to bring
greater benefits to itself and the construction unit.
Design changes, construction, procurement, etc., can be
reduced through optimization and overall planning of
engineering design. In addition, the conflicts between
practical, technical and safety of engineering solutions
can be effectively coordinated.
(2) Power and responsibility are clearly defined. In EPC
mode, the general contractor's work scope and respon-
sibility interface are clear, which effectively reduces
disputes among participants and ensures the smooth
progress of the project process. In addition, the respon-
sibility and risk during the construction period can be
transferred to the EPC general contractor to a great
extent, which reduces the risk borne by the owner and
facilitates the investigation of quality responsibility and
determination of quality responsibility bearers after
accidents.
(3) Total price contract. Given that EPC projects usually
have the characteristics of large volume, difficult tech-
nology and long construction period, in order to reduce
the impact of various uncertainties on the owner, EPC
projects usually adopt fixed total price contracts to help
the owner avoid risks. In addition, in order to avoid the
increase of their own costs caused by changes in market
prices and policies, contractors usually complete the
project within the prescribed time limit.
(4) The owner can be liberated from specific affairs. The
owner should give the general contractor certain auton-
omy of work, and should not interfere with its work
content excessively. The EPC general contractor is
allowed to subcontract some specialties in the contract
approved or signed by the owner, sign the subcontract,
direct and manage the subcontractor, and bear joint and
several liabilities for its behavior. In addition, the EPC
general contractor shall organize and manage the sub-
contractors designated by the owner.
In this research, the effect of the management process of
"Engineering consultation of the whole process + engineer-
ing, procurement, and construction" on construction projects
has been evaluated. In addition, the related theories have
been introduced and the advantages and disadvantages of the
construction project have been analyzed using the manage-
ment method of "EPC + WPEC".
2 Material and Methods
2.1 Integrated Management Concept
Integration is the bringing together of individual things or
elements in a certain way to form part of an organism. Man-
agement is the process of getting the most out of limited
resources. Therefore, integrated management is a manage-
ment method that combines originally independent things
and elements into a complex and maximizes the benefits of
the complex by managing it in a holistic way.
2.2 Integrated Management of Construction
Projects
The integrated management of construction project refers to
the coordination and management of all tasks in the whole
life cycle of the project, so as to develop the whole project.
During the development of a project, the entire sub-process
is integrated into a complete project, which constitutes the
concept of "project integration". The integrated management
of construction projects includes the integration of the deci-
sion-making stage, implementation stage and operation stage
to achieve the goal of integrated management.
The integrated management of EPC general contract-
ing mode refers to the fact that in EPC general contract-
ing mode, different professional work is originally closely
related (Fig. 2). These works are a system for EPC general
contractors, but only a small part of construction projects.
In addition, even if some work itself does not belong to a
single unit, due to the close connection in the development
process, the corresponding workflow must be restructured.
In this case, integrated management can realize the full
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Fig. 2  EPC mode matrix inte-
grated tube
Fig. 3  Whole process engineering consulting matrix integrated man-
agement
connection of business work and reduce the time loss and
resource waste of repeated development.
The integrated management of the whole process engi-
neering consulting mode refers to the integration and man-
agement of the scattered businesses under the traditional
consulting mode, that is, the "independent" services to
"integrated", the essence of the whole process is "inte-
grated". The object of overall planning is technology,
economy, management, information, etc., and the essence
is collaborative innovation and development (Fig. 3).
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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
The integrated management of EPC and WPEC is the
re-integrated management of two organic whole integrated
management. These are all under the same ownership
and all working on the same project. Make connections
throughout the life cycle of the project to create a 1 + 1 > 2
effect. EPC general contracting and the whole process of
engineering consulting integrated management is shown
in Table 1.
By summarizing the contents and characteristics of the
whole process engineering consultation and EPC general
contracting mode, a preliminary understanding of the two
modes was developed. In addition, through the concept of
integrated management, the application and cooperation
of the two modes was analyzed in this paper. Therefore, a
deeper understanding of the management mode and scope
of the two modes has been considered.
3 Results
3.1 Application Project Background
3.1.1 Project Overview
The project is named Quzhou Central Hospital Project,
located in Quzhou city, Zhejiang Province, China. The
project category is civil construction project, with a con-
struction area of 357,800 ­m2. The project contract type is
EPC engineering general contracting, the project cost is
2.897 billion yuan, the commencement date is June 2018,
the completion date is June 2021.
 Table 1  EPC general contracting and the whole process of engineering consulting integrated management
Project phase Job content General contracting (EPC) Whole process engineering consulting service

Decision Phase
(Other consulting services can include engineering
information technology (BIM) consulting, legal
consulting, engineering insurance consulting, green
building consulting, PPP consulting, etc.)
Planning or planning design (master plan, special plan, Generally not involved Or prepare the relevant report, or review the
regional plan and industry plan) relevant report, or handle the relevant approval
Project investment opportunity research (market work
research, etc.)
Project planning (functional planning, positioning plan-
ning, industrial planning, business planning, etc.)
Project approval (project proposal, feasibility study,
project application and funding application)
Project assessment (feasibility assessment, energy con-
servation assessment, environmental impact assess-
ment, safety assessment, social assessment, water
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering

conservation assessment, etc.)

Project implementation planning
Approval to establish
Implementation Phase Project decision stage Implementation Management/control
(The whole process consultation organizes the review of Survey and design stage Implementation Management/control
relevant documents, prepares the report or submits the
Bidding /purchasing stage Implementation Management/control
review results)
Construction costs Implementation Management/control/execution
Project supervision Execution
Completion acceptance Implementation Management/control
Project Hand Over Implementation Management/control
Operation phase Engineering warranty Implementation Management/control
Post project evaluation Participation Execution
Operations management Management/Consulting
Project to dismantle Management/Consulting

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 Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering

3.1.2 Project Features and Objectives Table 2  EPC general contracting organization structure

Project stage Managerial strategy
The characteristics of project include: (1) Large construction
scale and high construction standard; (2) Tight working time Design Professional designer
and high efficiency requirements; (3) It involves many spe- Construction Integrated management
cialties, complex functions, and is difficult to cross coordi- Professional engineers
nate; (4) There are many parties involved in the construction Store management
and installation process, and the workload of management Material/equipment
and coordination is large; (5) There are many uncertain fac- Safety/sanitation
tors such as equipment, materials and technology involved in Business Purchasing
the process of construction and installation, making invest- Cost control
ment control difficult. Control Subcontractor
Quality, plan, investment, and safety are the main objec- Progress
tives of the project. For quality objectives, it should meet the Material and equipment
quality standards required by the design, then consider the Information/technology
quality standards required by the construction, strive for one- Safety Environmental protection
time acceptance, ensure the "Qianjaiang Cup" and strive for Temporal facility
the "Luban Award". In the schedule objective term, the total
construction period is three years, and the project shall be
completed during this period. Investment objectives must be
considered to ensure that the actual project investment does
not exceed the total cost of the final approved project budget.
Finally, in safety objectives, the construction site shall meet
the requirements of the smart site and local industry authori-
ties in accordance with relevant document standards, and

Fig. 4  Organizational structure
of whole process engineering
consulting

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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
Table 3  Division of main The unit functions
responsibilities of participating
units Whole process engineering consulting unit
EPC project general contractor
ensure that the sample site of safe production and civilized
construction in Quzhou is obtained.
3.2 Analysis on the Application of "Whole
Process Engineering Consulting + EPC" Mode
in the Project
3.2.1 Service Content at Each Stage of the Project
The whole process engineering consulting plays a role in
the whole life cycle of EPC projects. Aiming at improv-
ing the comprehensive benefits of the project, it gives
full play to its role in each stage of the project. The ser-
vice content is mainly reflected as follows:
Main responsibilities
To plan, organize, direct, coordinate and control
all work (including project proposal, feasibil-
ity study, evaluation demonstration, design,
procurement, construction, acceptance, post
evaluation, etc.) within the construction pro-
ject cycle by using the viewpoint, theory and
method of systems engineering
EPC project general contracting includes
construction drawing design, construction,
procurement and packaging of materials and
equipment and medical facilities, process
acceptance, document transfer, filing, defect
maintenance and warranty services within the
liability period of engineering defects, etc.
Specific as follows:
1. Engineering design, all construction drawing
design during the construction period, and all
special design and BIM technology applica-
tion related to the project;
2. Design, prepare and purchase, including
all construction drawings and drawings that
constitute an integral part of construction and
installation projects;
3. Construction and installation engineering
construction: including but not limited to all
contents and construction of various special
projects and affiliated projects, three links, one
level and BIM technology application, etc.
4. Project management services: a. cooperate
with the completion of all the unfinished pre-
liminary approval and construction work; b.
Perform all kinds of testing required by the
project; c. Complete project acceptance and
all kinds of special acceptance and hando-
ver; d. Urban construction filing of completed
materials; e. Cooperate with the completion of
project record and property rights manage-
ment; f. Personnel training and BIM technol-
ogy application in operation and maintenance
stage
(1) In the project decision-making consulting service stage
In the early stage of project decision-making and consul-
tation, the whole process of engineering consulting enter-
prises mainly carry out consulting services for the following
parts, such as: demand analysis and evaluation, investment
decision-making, determination of project objectives, feasi-
bility study, financial planning, scheme design, and project
execution plan. In the early planning and implementation
of the project, the consulting company should try its best
to dig out the real needs of customers and enter the project
construction as soon as possible. Relying on professional
knowledge, skills and experience, early participation can not
only integrate long-term strategy into the project, but also
provide professional advice to help the owner correct the
wrong project planning.
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Fig. 5  Basic flow of construction project management
(2) In the project design stage
This period is an important part of the construction pro-
ject and has a practical impact on investment control. During
this period, technical personnel in various fields should be
comprehensively integrated to strengthen the cooperation
ability of various departments and improve professional
skills. The project design stage has an important influence
on the project cost control and construction implementation.
During this period, the consulting company played a role of
communication and communication in the project imple-
mentation process, providing high-quality cost consulting
for developers. On the basis of ensuring the design quality
and investment cost, giving full play to the dominant power
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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
of the design unit can not only ensure the design quality, but
also ensure the cost.
(3) In the bidding phase of the project
Engineering consulting enterprises should be fair, just
and reasonable when helping the employer to manage the
bidding. In order to ensure the efficiency of the employer's
investment and return, it is necessary to choose the contrac-
tor with technical strength, reasonable price and good man-
agement level first. On the premise of fully understanding
the owner's wishes, we should make full use of our profes-
sional abilities to reasonably formulate the bidding docu-
ments of relevant projects and comprehensively consider the
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
Fig. 6  Project investment
control process in construction
stage
bidding documents to select the winning bidder with the best
comprehensive evaluation for the owner.
(4) In the project construction stage
The whole process consulting company should pay atten-
tion to the management of project quality, schedule, cost and
risk, reply to all kinds of problems of the project, and com-
municate effectively with all parties. At the same time, the
design changes in the construction should be strictly moni-
tored, the input of the whole construction stage should be
analyzed, and the cost control scheme should be formulated.
(5) At the completion and acceptance stage of the project
This step is the final stage of the whole project con-
struction. During this period, the whole process engineer-
ing consulting firm checks the consistency of the pro-
ject with the contract terms and requirements. Because
the engineering consulting company tracks the project
throughout the whole process, it can analyze the changes
generated during the construction more specifically, so
that the project cost settlement and evaluation work is
more reasonable, fair and just, and it is easier to obtain
the identification of the construction parties.
3.2.2 Project Organization Structure and Responsibility
Division
Organizational structure of whole process engineering con-
sulting, EPC general contracting organization structure and
main responsibilities of participating units are summarized
in Figs. 4 and Tables 2 and 3.
3.3 Integrated Management Control Process
Main structures developed in this study for the integrated
management of control process are shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9,
10 and 11. The components of each structure have been dis-
cussed in flowcharts.
3.3.1 Basic Management of Construction Project
Figure 5 shows the basic process of project management.
Feasibility study report (FSR) is in project construction
preparation period and investment decision stage. Design
stage, construction and installation phase and stage of com-
pletion are the next step, respectively.
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Fig. 7  Project progress control
process in construction stage
3.3.2 Project Investment Control Process
The proposed structure for project investment control in con-
struction stage is summarized in Fig. 6. According to the
figure, the construction contract is signed by construction,
contracting and supervision units. In the next step, construc-
tion drawings are reviewed by design, construction, contract-
ing, and supervision units. Construction, supervision and
contracting units jointly inspect factory materials and equip-
ment. The review of construction drawings and the payment
applications should be carried out by contractor unit. Other
duties of the contractor unit include: Application for design
change and engineering consultation”, “Declare completed
sub- project inspection report”, “Apply for price difference”,
and “Claim” that indicated in the flowchart. Application for
advance payment is reviewed and approved by supervising
engineer and the chief supervising engineer, respectively.
Moreover, the review and submission mechanisms of pay-
ment are supervised by “Supervising unit”.
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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
3.3.3 Project Progress in Construction Stage
As shown in Fig. 7, in the first stage in this process, the prep-
aration of overall construction schedule should be accompa-
nied by plan material, equipment purchase plan, labor use
plan, and construction organization use plan. Moreover, In
the preparation manual: 1. Actual completed quantity and
engineering quantity of last month, 2. Amount and workload
completed in the month (year), 3. Plan ahead or behind the
analysis, and 4. Countermeasures to be taken. The three last
stages basically meet the design requirements.
3.3.4 Engineering Quality Control Process
The engineering quality control process is shown in Fig. 8.
According to the figure, certificate of qualification and
re-inspection of materials and the construction plan are
needed to examine and approve applications for com-
mencement and issue commencement orders. Other com-
ponents are summarized in the flowchart to achieve the
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
Fig. 8  Engineering quality
control process in construction
stage
approval certificate. In the supervision of the examination
stage, materials can be changed or retesting work can be
doubled under the below standard condition. The attached
documents to sign the changes are: 1. Hidden check list;
2. Pre-check sheet; 3. Quality assurance data; 4. Itemized
project quality assessment table.
3.3.5 Engineering Safety Control Process
The control process of engineering safety is illustrated in
Fig. 9. The required explanations are provided in each sec-
tion and the relationship between them is shown. The con-
struction industry's accident record and rapid rate increases
in workers' compensation insurance are a warning that the
industry needs stronger safety controls. Safety checklists,
training methods, safety awards and other motivational
approaches are not enough (Stanton and Willenbrock 1990).
Therefore, there is a need to obtain an information-based
safety management information system based on the same
standardized management control principles. This structure
should be used to achieve planning, cost, production and
quality objectives. The structure designed in this article
provides project managers and supervisors with the timely
and complete information they need to respond to health
and safety problems and risks. In addition, by creating a
conceptual framework consisting of basic concepts of safety
and health, management control, information and concepts
can consider as an analytical basis for determining the safety
measures.
3.3.6 Contract Management Control Process
Figure 10 shows the process of contract management based
on the proposed model. In section of “Assign project super-
visor”, the project supervisor analyzes the construction
contract as follows: 1. Project overview; 2. Schedule and
quality objectives; 3. Contracting method and bidding price;
4. Quality control objectives; 5. Clauses related to project
supervision; 6. Risk and liability analysis; 7. Breach of con-
tract Clause; 8. Other matters. Moreover, the analysis results
should be compared with design documents, construction
organization design and supervision planning.
3.3.7 Information Management
A flowchart is provided to indicate the information manage-
ment control process as shown in Fig. 11. In this paper, the
four key areas of information management are construction,
design, government, and market. Each of these key areas
plays a vital role in the effective management of information
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 Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering

Fig. 9  Engineering safety control process in construction stage

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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
Fig. 10  Contract management control process
throughout its lifecycle. A process designed to manage infor-
mation helps to provide a suitable model for implementation.
4 Discussion
4.1 The Advantages of Integrated Management
Here, integrated management refers to the integrated man-
agement of the whole process engineering consulting and
EPC general contracting modes. Projects through integrated
management have the following advantages:
(1) Overall planning for the whole project
The whole process engineering consultation runs through
all links of the whole life cycle of the project, providing
smoother information flow, thus ensuring the continuity,
timeliness and efficiency of EPC project construction, effec-
tively guiding and controlling the implemented and unimple-
mented projects, and effectively improving the management
level of the whole project.
(2) Improve project quality
In the process of EPC project construction, the whole pro-
cess engineering consulting enterprise decomposes the qual-
ity objectives of different links and specialties, implements
the responsibilities and tasks of each manager through step-
by-step management, and ensures the effective completion of
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Fig. 11  Information management control process
technical difficulties and key links in construction. In addi-
tion, it can also predict major hazard sources in advance and
eliminate hidden dangers by pre-prevention, thus improving
the quality of construction projects.
(3) Ensure the project schedule
Integrated management can accurately manage the pro-
gress of the construction project, check the progress of the
project by comparing the actual progress with the planned
progress, and control and adjust the deviation if there is
any. In addition, solve the bidding, design, cost and other
related units responsibility separation, mutual disconnection
problem, optimize the project organization, to ensure the
progress of the project.
(4) Controlling investment costs
Integrated management can effectively control the cost of
the project, control the cost of materials and equipment, con-
tract management, personnel management and other stages,
so as to ensure that the consultation in the early stage is
consistent with the follow-up implementation process, so as
to increase the investment benefit and ensure the investment
purpose of the project.
(5) Deepen risk identification
Integrated management identifies and prevents construc-
tion risks timely through mastering project information
and resource allocation. Reduce construction risk through
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Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
simultaneous design, simultaneous construction, simultane-
ous production and use; Through the dynamic control of
each stage, we can continuously improve the ability to deal
with risks, improve the scientificity of risk allocation, and
ensure the interests of all participants. In addition, integrated
management can standardize the market order, reduce cor-
ruption, and illegal behavior.
4.2 Difficulties and Countermeasures
Difficulties: The project adopts the EPC general contract-
ing mode, but in hospital engineering, materials and equip-
ment without market information price are widely applied,
accounting for a high proportion of investment. In addition,
the speed of change of new technology and new technology
is fast, so the change of market price is relatively large, and
decoration and medical-related construction is basically car-
ried out after one and a half years, so inquiry and pricing
have extraordinary difficulty and potential investment risks
and schedule risks.
Countermeasures: In view of the particularity of the pro-
ject, formulate the corresponding inquiry and change man-
agement plan, after the approval of the relevant departments,
under the supervision of the relevant departments involved
in the inquiry process of related technical risks, can effec-
tively reduce the occurrence of investment, progress risk and
corruption. In addition, combined with the characteristics
and progress of medical engineering, the method of fixed
float + temporary pricing is recommended. The fixed float-
ing part is the part that is easy to be priced and controlled in
the construction process, while the part that is difficult to be
priced for medical specialty is subject to bidding in the way
of bill of quantities.
5 Summary and Conclusion
EPC method has been increasingly adopted in competitive
international markets, in which design management is criti-
cal to project performances. In this study, whole process
engineering consulting is applied to EPC project. Compared
with the traditional engineering consulting mode, EPC pro-
jects need more efficient organization and management
mode, so as to give full play to its multiple advantages such
as multi-specialty cross-coordination, shortened construc-
tion period, quality assurance and cost saving. Through the
introduction and analysis of the whole process engineering
consulting service, it is found that EPC projects are more
suitable for the whole process engineering consulting ser-
vice mode, and the full combination of advanced contracting
mode and project management mode is of practical signifi-
cance to improve the comprehensive benefits of the pro-
ject. The whole process engineering consulting mode can
Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Civil Engineering
run through the whole life cycle of EPC large construction
projects, which has the advantages of improving project
quality, reducing investment cost, ensuring project sched-
ule, deepening risk identification, etc., and can better serve
the whole project and improve the management efficiency
of the whole project.
Declarations  Prabaharan R, Shanmugapriya S (2022) Identification of critical bar-
Conflict of interest  The authors declare that they have no known com-
peting financial interests or personal relationships that could have ap-
peared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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