INTRODUCTION

Information and Communication Technology is the study of the technology used to handle information and aid communication. The phrase was coined by the new National Curriculum documents for the UK in 2000. It is the combination of Informatics technology with other, related technologies, specifically communication technology.

Thrust One of the Ninth Malaysian Plan identifies the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector as one of the areas vital for Malaysia's economic growth. This sector has become a very important industry due to its rapid growth and its role in stimulating expansion for other industries in Malaysia.

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) has been commonplace in the construction industry, with the increased functionalities of intranets and extranets in a web-based environment.

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CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION OF ICT

Construction companies should adopt information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance their capability, the awareness of using ICT was there but the cost of investment prohibited companies from adopting the technology. Big companies can afford ICT investment while most of the small companies find its adoption unaffordable, but still got some small companies had already adopted ICT to enhance their operations but could not afford to upgrade due to the higher cost, as what we had know it is not a problem of knowledge and information on the usage of ICT but it is always about the cost. It was important to have a integrated software system as a lot of professionals like architects and engineers within the same companies were using different kinds of software. Standardisation is important in obtaining effective workflow for the project development and implementation. On the tenth Malaysia Plan, The Government is ready to welcomes any ideas and suggestion on the plan. For construction related works, ICT usage will be one of the essential parts that the Government would emphasise; and the Government hoped the software companies would support the Government effort in promoting the usage of ICT.

INFLUENCE FACTORS FOR ICT IMPLEMENTATION

To set up a knowledge database for the construction industry would require a huge amount of resources especially in the application of information and communication technology or ICT. This setback is not only peculiar to Malaysia, as it applies to the construction sector in other parts of the world, including developed countries.

A study by the e-Business W@tch for the European Community confirmed the low ICT uptake as well as the untapped potential for ICT-based developments in the construction sector. The study said while basic Internet access has been established in the construction sector, the basic ICT infrastructure in general is poorly developed.
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The numerous SMEs in the construction sector do not focus on ICT skills development or employing ICT experts. Despite the potential of Enterprise Resource Planning systems to increase productivity and internal ICT efficiency, construction companies hesitate to adopt these ICT solutions.

The construction sector is also not making full use of the potential of collaborative systems for information sharing and coordination with external partners while construction companies do not take advantage of ICT solutions for digital information exchange and sharing documents on-line.

E-Procurement has also not matured in the construction sector at this point and will take longer to be developed than originally anticipated. The same also applies to the area of materials procurement. The Customer Relationship Management is not supported to any considerable extent by ICT systems. Online sales and marketing activities are not widespread and surprisingly few construction companies have a website. Because of the characteristics of construction services, ecommerce might be of limited relevance to many construction enterprises. The described scenario is inherent in the Malaysian construction industry at the present time, to a lesser extent.

The study led by SIRIM, formulated a strategic plan for the holistic adoption of ICT to enhance productivity and competitiveness of the sector. The study encompasses the sector's supply chain partners and current IT usage in the sector, the landscape of which is similar to the state of affairs described earlier.

The Construction Industry Master Plan, which is heavily promoting the standardization and integration of administrative practices and procedures in the local authorities had relied almost entirely on intelligent application of ICT to achieve its objectives. The digitalization of planning submission and building plan approval process, the online submission by consultants and provision of common digital links between the local authorities and the respective technical agencies all require substantial investment and careful planning on usage of ICT.

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BENEFITS OF ICT IMPLEMENTATION

There are many areas in the construction industry that can capitalise on the powers of ICT and improve its performance. Currently, even digital submission for approval by local authorities is at an experimental stage.

The use of ICT permeates various industries and is seen as a major driver for improvement in performance and cost efficiency. As such, the ability of the construction industry to harness the potential of ICT will bring significant improvements to the industry, including its image as a progressive industry.

The use of ICT will also allow the industry to traverse the digital world. It will provide opportunity for outsourcing and off-shoring. At the same time it allows for the formation of virtual partnership without a need to be physically close. Many projects are secured through the Internet nowadays. As such, focusing on the development of ICT in construction can also provide an opportunity to expand the construction market as well as the market of all the services and products related to it.

Below is some example for benefits of ICT implementation. Example I: Use of 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) during design and the use of the Internet to improve team productivity is a clear area for improvement. It is now possible to link everyone involved in a project, the owner, contractor, consultant and even material supplier to all of the information required for a project.

The architects, for instance, can start by creating an intelligent 3D CAD models that can be viewed and shared with the rest of the design team members. Working from the same base model, the engineers can rapidly develop their respective engineering and detail designs allowing the quantity surveyors to quickly quantify preliminary cost estimates of the project.

When these CAD capabilities are well exploited, owners will find that very significant savings in costs and time can be achieved. And best of all, whatever designs, drawings
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and other documents created during project design stage will more accurately reflect "asbuilt" conditions so that they can be used for facility management functions after the project is completed.

Example II: CIDB is assessing the feasibility of developing a generic contract management system which would allow seamless management of contracts based on the JKR 203 Standard Condition of Contracts, CIDB 2000 Standard Form of Building Contract or other prevailing contract conditions by the contractors. When fully implemented, the system would also allow exchange of best practices in contract management.

CHALLENGES OF ICT IMPLEMENTATION

ICT is important in enhancing companies operations but a lot of companies do not emphasize this area due to the capital problem as the prices of some ICT products are really high. Lack of information regarding ICT adoption was also one of the problems hindering companies from adopting ICT. Generally, manufacturing companies are more aggressive in ICT spending, such as electrical and electronics and food companies. Constraints at the personal level include limited budget for ICT investment, commitment from other project participants, issues of ICT standardization, and security problems. At the organizational level, constraints include basic levels computer experience, time available to learn, and the identification of clear benefits of ICT use. Constraints at the group level include time available to share information, quality of personal contact and geographical distance.

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CONCLUSION

The construction industry faces many challenges in the 20th century. It will be forced to change and to incorporate new advanced technologies into the construction process to gain a new competitive edge in the market and we also found that ICT usage will be one of the essential parts that the Government would emphasize most.

Some of the construction companies do not take advantage of ICT solutions due to the adaptation of such Information and Communication Technology will cost a fortune but the use of ICT had proven that it will improve performance and cost efficiency and it can share the information throughout the nation.

ICT supports the production of high quality which is linked to the success of the project the better quality to improve the project success. We also believe that investing in innovation would help tackle other issues within industry like skills shortages. If the industry invests in developing new technologies it could increase productivity and create greater efficiencies.

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