Simultaneous Determination of Technical, Social, Environment and Economic Feasibility in a Portfolio of Construction Projects, followed by the Selection of Best Projects, Using the SIMUS Method

This paper introduces a subject that is not often seen in the Multi Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) literature, or perhaps never seen, and it is related to determining if a complex undertaking is feasible, considering the multiples restrictions that commonly exist. This is a very common situation in civil construction where an entrepreneur has a portfolio of different constructions, for instance, building a set of dwellings with different types of structure, including complementary ancillary. There are resources that must be employed rationally such as funds, manpower, equipment, concrete, etc., which are used in all projects, and because the limitation of supplies and timing, they may render the whole scenario unfeasible. This paper addresses this issue by determining if the undertaking as a whole is feasible, considering all restrictions, and if it is, identifying the best projects and the scope of each one. A real example for pulp, paper and sawmill complex is proposed and solved using the SIMUS method of MCDM. This is followed by a sensitivity analysis of the solution.

Keywords: Feasibility; Restrictions or Criteria; SIMUS; Logging; Lumber; Pulp mill; Paper mill; Sawmill