An optimized multi-attribute decision-making approach to construction supply chain management by using complex picture fuzzy soft set

Supplier selection is a critical decision-making process for any organization, as it directly impacts the quality, cost, and reliability of its products and services. However, the supplier selection problem can become highly complex due to the uncertainties and vagueness associated with it. To overcome these complexities, multi-criteria decision analysis, and fuzzy logic have been used to incorporate uncertainties and vagueness into the supplier selection process. These techniques can help organizations make informed decisions and mitigate the risks associated with supplier selection. In this article, a complex picture fuzzy soft set (cpFSS), a generalized fuzzy set-like structure, is developed to deal with information-based uncertainties involved in the supplier selection process. It can maintain the expected information-based periodicity by introducing amplitude and phase terms. The amplitude term is meant for fuzzy membership, and the phase term is for managing its periodicity within the complex plane. The cpFSS also facilitates the decision-makers by allowing them the opportunity to provide their neutral grade-based opinions for objects under observation. Firstly, the essential notions and set-theoretic operations of cpFSS are investigated and illustrated with examples. Secondly, a MADM-based algorithm is proposed by describing new matrix-based aggregations of cpFSS like the core matrix, maximum and minimum decision value matrices, and score. Lastly, the proposed algorithm is implemented in real-world applications with the aim of selecting a suitable supplier for the provision of required materials for construction projects. With the sensitivity analysis of score values through Pythagorean means, it can be concluded that the results and rankings of the suppliers are consistent. Moreover, through structural comparison, the proposed structure is proven to be more flexible and reliable as compared to existing fuzzy set-like structures.