Sustainable supplier selection for prefabricated megaprojects during COVID-19: a novel large group decision-making model

ABSTRACT Prefabrication in construction has broad development prospects owing to its sustainability and strong support from the government. Prefabricated components, as the primary part of prefabrication megaprojects, affect the project completion and performance directly. Therefore, selecting appropriate prefabricated component sustainable suppliers (PCSSs) is a paramount task for the success of prefabricated megaprojects. This study expounds on the characteristics of PCSS selection from three aspects, namely the difference between prefabricated and traditional ones, sustainability requirements, and the impact of COVID-19, and indicates the issues that should be considered when choosing PCSS. An evaluation criterion is extracted and applied to the primary data from 4 PCSSs and 45 decision makers (DMs) of a prefabricated megaproject. Finally, a novel intuitionistic fuzzy large-group decision-making model is proposed. This model considers criterion weights and DM weights, as well as hesitation, ambiguity and consistency. The results indicate that the proposed model has strong robustness and can meet the decision-making needs of different DMs. The model extends the body of knowledge in the context of supply chain disruptions and digital bidding during the COVID-19 pandemic based on its more comprehensive criteria for the PCSS selection and new approaches for the weighting and uncertain evaluation throughout the decision-making process.