Delay causes in road infrastructure projects in developing countries (original) (raw)

Exploring Causes of Delays in National Road and Highway Projects in Developing Construction Economy

Journal of engineering, project, and production management, 2022

Delay in construction projects, especially in road and highway projects, is a universal phenomenon. Afghanistan construction industry is no exception. There are factors causing delays in the Afghanistan construction industry which have negative effects on the key project stakeholders and the project's deliverables and outcomes. This research aims to identify the causes of delays that affect highway and road projects in Afghanistan and to provide recommendations in order to minimize or control delays in such projects. This will help, in return, facilitate and improve the delivery of roads and highways projects in Afghanistan. To achieve this aim, the study sets out to achieve the following objectives: 1) to determine the most important causes of delay that affect road and highway projects in Afghanistan, 2) to identify the severity of the delay causes from clients' and contractors' perspectives, 3) to investigate the differences and discrepancies between clients' and contractors' opinions and views, and based on first three objectives, 4) to finally provide recommendations for minimizing and/or controlling delays in road and highway projects, to improve the status-quo and to facilitate procurement/delivery of road and highway projects in Afghanistan. Causes of delay were gathered upon conducting a critical literature review of different types of construction, in different countries. An expert interview and a questionnaire survey formed the basis of this paper, listing 29 important causes of delay in such projects. The major causes of delay then were categorized into three groups following main stages of the highway projects, namely: 1) preparation, 2) procurement, and 3) implementation. The questionnaire survey was distributed to 100 construction participants and 79 were received who represent the government in road projects and contractors. Relative importance index (RII) was calculated and according to the highest values the top ten delay causes of road projects in Afghanistan were determined. Spearman correlation index was used to assess the correlation of causes and groups between clients and contractors. The findings of the study revealed that the top 10 significant factors causing a delay in road projects in Afghanistan are; security (war, theft, kidnapping, etc.), shortage of equipment and material or financial status of contractors, land acquisition, corruption in the procurement process, progress payment delays by owners/clients, non-consideration of security risks in the procurement process, Inaccurate design and bills of quantities, insufficient contractors' experience, poor qualification of the contractors' technical staff and award project to lowest bids. The findings will help clients and contractors to mitigate or prevent delays in road and highway projects in Afghanistan. Finally, to help overcome delays in road and highway projects more effectively, recommendations have been made for fundamental reforms in procurement systems for major projects.

An Analysis of the Main Causes of Delays in the Completion of Road Construction Projects: A Case Study of Tanzania

The Open Transportation Journal

Introduction Completing road construction projects in time is a challenge for developing countries, specifically for Tanzania, where great economic costs result from difficulties in identifying and reducing the factors that cause the delay. Methods This study addresses factors that cause the delay of a road construction project in Tanzania and proposes some methods that could potentially reduce this delay. A structured questionnaire was drawn up through an interactive online workshop with the help of experts and professionals from the road construction sector in Tanzania, and follow-up interviews were conducted. Results and Discussion In addition, the first results were analyzed, and the factors identified were combined into five important groups, namely, client-related, consultant-related, contractor-related, design-related, and external factors. These were the main contributing aspects to delays in road construction projects in Tanzania. Conclusion Furthermore, from across these g...

Causes and Effects of Delay Factors in Road Construction Projects in Sudan

This paper summarises research into the major causes of road construction project delays in Sudan. The research approach was to identify the different types of construction delays, their causes and effects from different perspectives, in order to determine the impact and the level of importance of the identified delay factors on road construction projects in Sudan. Drawing on the findings from a detailed literature review, a closed loop questionnaire was constructed and used to collect quantitative data from 100 experts and professionals drawn from Sudan's roads construction industry. A relative importance index (RII) method was used to rank the level of importance of the identified delay factors and to determine their individual impact on the overall project delay. The results indicate that cost-overrun and time-overrun factors have the highest delay impact on road construction projects in Sudan, with RII values of 0.840 and 0.780 respectively. Furthermore, the study found that each delay factor has a different level of impact on the overall project delay, and that the most effective method to minimize delays in road construction projects in Sudan is the choice of a project manager with sufficient knowledge and experience relevant to project management, and the use of appropriate tools and techniques for the project.

ANALYSIS OF FACTORS OF DELAY IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND OTHER PROJECTS IN IMO STATE.pdf

This paper is aimed at identifying various factors responsible for road construction delays. From literature 165 common factors causing delays were identified. A survey were carried out amongst selected experienced personnel for expert opinion to identify the significant factors causing road construction and other projects delays in Imo State, Nigeria. 436 responses were collected from each of the respondents groups including client, consultant and contractor covering the Senatorial zones of Imo State. The questionnaire responses were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis method, which resulted in identification of 58 common factors causing road construction delays. Results show that that Poor site practices exhibits the highest rotated loading factor 0.950, followed by Contractor selection method of 0.964, Delays in contractor's progress payment by owner of 0.878, Excessive overtime of 0.959, Design changes by owner or his agent during road construction of 0.867, Uncooperative owners of 0.913, Weather effect of 0.869, Equipment failure of 0.861, Building permits approval process of 0.871, Materials changes in types and specifications during road construction of 0.803 and Transportation delays of 0.892 factor loading in technical, quality management, financing, human resources, changes, contractual relationships, environment, equipment, rules and regulations, materials and scheduling and control factors respectively.

The Empirical Review of Critical Success Factors on the Causes of Delay in Road Constructions Projects in the GCC Countries

Australian Finance & Banking Review, 2020

The aim of this study is to identify the critical success factors on the delays of road constructions in the GCC countries and their effects on project delivery in Arab countries. Towards the achievement of the objectives the study used the empirical literature from all relevant online sources and data based as many as possible. The findings of this study have summarized and shortlisted the success factors in the two categories such as internal and external factors have caused to be influenced to delay of road construction in the Arab regions. However, in the category of internal factors, there are 63 factors shortlisted from seven groups of factors which has revealed to effects on the delay of road constructions especially, the consultant related factors, and the contractor related factors, designed related factors, client-related factors, labor-related factors, material related issues, equipment-related issues respectively. Moreover, external related factors are also considered to...

Delay Factors: A Comparative Analysis between Road Infrastructure and Building Projects

2020

Delay is one of the most common, complex and risky phenomena that adversely affects performance of construction projects. Several studies have been conducted on delay factors identification, some focused on road infrastructures, others on buildings, or on construction projects broadly. However, there are scarce publications with a comprehensive and sound analysis among projects of different type. This study presents a comparative analysis of delay factors between road infrastructure and building projects using the following research process: (1) a systematic review of articles published in specialized and peer-reviewed journals is performed; 2) relevant studies are chosen based on inclusion/exclusion criteria; (3) qualitative evidence is categorized; (4) quantitative evidence is analyzed with Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient; and (5) contributions are summarized. A final set of twenty published articles provided quantitative and qualitative evidence of construction delays. The findings indicated that delay factors identification and prioritization differs between projects and countries. Some critical delay factors for road infrastructure projects were inadequate contractor's experience and payment delays to contractor, while for building projects were shortage of materials and financial difficulties of contractor.

Causes and Effects of Delays in Road Construction Projects in Sudan

Construction delay is one of the serious concerns of the road industry in Sudan. The study aims to identify the causes of delays that have adverse effects on road projects in terms of time, cost and quality. Literature of different types of delays, their causes and effects on road construction projects were intensively reviewed. The study identified a number of causes of delays at great risk and have adverse effects on construction of road projects. A questionnaire based on 15 causes and 5 effects was sent to the clients, consultants and contractors. The collected data were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII). The results showed that the contractor is most commonly responsible for project delay (37%), followed by the client (33%) and the consultant (30%). The study findings reveal that the top five main delay causes are payment delay by client, funding problems, conflicts among the project parties, suspension of work due to the client or consultant, and project schedule changes. On the other hand, cost and time overrun, poor quality of work due to rush, and disputes are the main effects of delays. The study concluded that adequate construction budget and payments on time should be the main factors for the project success.

An Investigation into Factors Causing Delays in Road Construction Projects in Kenya

American Journal of Civil Engineering, 2015

The majority of road construction projects in Kenya do not get completed within the initially set targets of time. Project delays frustrate the process of development, have an immeasurable cost implication to the society, and also lead to loss of reputation of the parties involved in the projects' execution. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors causing delays in road construction projects in Kenya. Project delays are a common problem internationally in the construction industry in modern times. Investigating the reasons for delay has become an important contribution to improved construction industry performance. Over seventy percent of projects initiated in Kenya are likely to escalate in time with a magnitude of over fifty percent. The study used purposive sampling technique and survey design. Data was collected using questionnaires which were distributed to consultants and contractors. The data was analyzed using the Relative Importance Index and Spearman's rank correlation. The top five causes of project delays were observed to be payment by client, slow decision making and bureaucracy in client organization, inadequate planning and scheduling, and rain. It is recommended that clients should improve their financial management systems so that they are able to pay contractors in a timely manner. Bureaucracy and red tape should be reduced in client organizations in order to speed up the slow decision making process. Efficient management of the construction process will also lead to a reduction in incidences of claims. Contractors should prepare adequate plans and schedules which can also be used to minimize the effects of rain.

Causes of delay in road construction projects in Malawi

Journal of The South African Institution of Civil Engineering, 2013

A study was conducted to identify the causes of delay in completing road construction projects in Malawi. A literature review was done which yielded 72 typical causes of delay, and a questionnaire was sent to client, contractor and consultant representatives in Malawi. The results were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficients, which indicated that the top ten causes of delay in Malawi are: shortage of fuel, insufficient contractor cash-flow, shortage of foreign currency for importation of materials and equipment, slow payment procedures adopted by the client in making progress payments, insufficient equipment, delay in relocating utilities, shortage of construction materials, delay in paying compensation to land owners, shortage of technical personnel, and delay in site mobilisation. The causes of delay are significant and should be given attention by client organisations, consultants and contractors to enable the timely com...

Causes of Delay in Road Construction Projects

The construction industry is one of the main sectors that provides important ingredients for the development of an economy. However, many projects experience extensive delays and thereby exceed initial time and cost estimates. Construction delay is considered to be one of the most recurring problems in the construction industry and it has an adverse effect on project success in terms of time, cost, quality, and safety. This study is conducted to investigate the time performance of road construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine to identify the causes of delay and their severity according to contractors and consultants through a questionnaire survey. The field survey included 34 contractors and 30 consultants. A total of 52 causes of delay were identified during the research. The survey concluded that the top five severe delay causes are political situation, segmentation of the West Bank and limited movement between areas, award project to lowest bid price, progress payment delay by owner, and shortage of equipment.