Solving large-scale discrete time–cost trade-off problem using hybrid multi-verse optimizer model

Abstract The analysis of the relationship between time and cost is a crucial aspect of construction project management. Various optimization techniques have been developed to solve time–cost trade-off problems. A hybrid multi-verse optimizer model (hDMVO) is introduced in this study, which combines the multi-verse optimizer (MVO) and the sine cosine algorithm (SCA) to address the discrete time–cost trade-off problem (DTCTP). The algorithm's optimality is evaluated by using 23 well-known benchmark test functions. The results demonstrate that hDMVO is competitive with MVO, SCA, the dragonfly algorithm and ant lion optimization. The performance of hDMVO is evaluated using four benchmark test problems of DTCTP, including two medium-scale instances (63 activities) and two large-scale instances (630 activities). The results indicate that hDMVO can provide superior solutions in the time–cost optimization of large-scale and complex projects compared to previous algorithms.