Issue Focus

The construction industry recognizes the emergence of smart technologies related with the fourth industrial revolution as an opportunity to enhance productivity and improve profitability by striving to actively introduce and apply the smart technologies. However, obstacles such as the rigidity of traditional production systems and methods, the risks of companies (ex. cost, schedule, and etc.) to apply new technologies, and conflicts with existing Acts relating construction industry effect as a barrier. In order to solve these problems, governmental and industrial support is needed. For instance, global countries such as the UK, Singapore and Japan, including Korea, present diverse measures including goals, implementation systems, and various support policies for activating the smart technologies in construction industry. This research suggests the legislative direction of the tentatively named “Smart Construction Technology Activation Act” based on the benchmarking results of domestic and global policies for the activation of smart construction technology and domestic laws containing similar purpose (i.e., activating technologies in other industry). In particular, in order to establish governance such as related principles and plans, organization for implementation, and responsibility for related entities, and to reflect the policies proposed by government (ex. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), and etc.) for construction industry and companies support, enactment of the “Smart Construction Technology Activation Act” is considered to be the most effective. In addition, considering conflicts with other existing Acts and cooperation of other relevant ministries, the enactment should be considered in the form of a special law. This research comprises five chapter of the “Smart Construction Technology Activation Act” as follows: (Chapter 1) General provision, (Chapter 2) Strategy for activating the smart construction, (Chapter 3) Smart construction committee and council, etc., (Chapter 4) Implementation of smart construction project and technology application, and (Chapter 5) Support for smart construction industry. The detailed articles of each chapter are as follow: Chapter 1, ‘General Provision’, shall include the purposes of this Act, definitions of terms, the responsibilities of parties involved, relationships with other laws, and etc. Chapter 2, ‘Strategy for activating the smart construction’, shall contain national(ex. MOLIT, and etc.) strategy and basic principles, establishment and implementation of action plans for smart construction, types and levels of smart construction and technology, review and evaluation of smart construction implementation, and etc. Chapter 3, ‘Smart construction committee and council, etc.’, shall include smart construction activation committee of MOLIT, councils of relevant government department or ministries, councils for improvement of public ordering system, and etc. Chapter 4, ‘Implementation of smart construction project and technology application’, shall cover planning and decision-making of smart construction project, special privileges for contract by rough estimate and costing criteria, special privileges for timing of project participants and composition of contract packages, special privileges for public ordering and bidding system, special privileges for construction project management, project performance management and preparation of report., and etc. Chapter 5, ‘Support for smart construction industry’, shall contain projects for smart construction technology R&D (Research and Development), systematic management and proliferation of R&D performance, support for participant of public smart construction project, support for implementation of private smart construction project, support for small and medium–sized enterprises, fostering of smart construction related industry, education and training of experts in smart construction, and etc.