Abstract:
Delays are one of the biggest problems construction firms face. Delays can lead to many
negative effects such as lawsuits between owners and contractors, increased costs, loss of productivity and revenue, and contract termination. Even though various studies have
been considered into the causes affecting delays, these studies seldom discuss common
and general causes of delays in construction projects. Thus, comprehensive study on
these delays was deemed to be essential. Since the problems are rather contextual, the
study focused on specific causes of delay like insufficient coordination and ineffective
communication between involved parties in construction projects located in Kenya.
Currently, construction accounts for a large percentage of the annual gross domestic
product (GDP). However, the growth in the construction industry has influenced the
country’s economic development. As observed in developed construction is considered
unique in that it can stimulate the growth of other industrial sectors. Hence, to consider
the growth of the construction industry in terms of its contribution to GDP in isolation is
somewhat misleading in that, to do so understates the crucial role played by the
construction.Therefore, improving construction efficiency by means of cost effectiveness
and timeliness would certainly contribute to cost saving for the country as a whole. Effort
directed to cost and time effectiveness was associated with management issues.
A construction contract is made between two parties only, i.e. ‘the Employer’ and ‘the
Contractor’. Their roles are defined in the contract. However, because there is a need for
day-to-day supervision of civil engineering, construction, the two parties may agree that a
third person should carry out such duties. This third person can have varying powers
under the contract and this is reflected in his designation. He can be designated ‘the
Engineer’ under the contract; or he may be designated ‘the Project Manager’ or
‘Employer’s Representative’ in both cases occupying a distinctly different position from
any other designation. A survey on project management performance of different types of construction projects in Kenya was conducted to determine the causes of delays which are one of the major source of disputes and “construction claims” and their importance according to each of
the project participants, i.e. owner, consultant and the contractor. Researching on the problem of delay in construction, the report adopted a descriptive
research design. The sample size was established through the method of simple random
sampling. The instrument used to collect data for the research was a structured
questionnaire. A field survey was carried out with participants including 23 contractors,
19 consultants, and 15 owners. During the research, several causes of delay were
identified. 76% of the contractors and 56% of the consultants had indicated that average
of time overrun was between 10% and 30% of the original contract period. The three
parties identified the most common cause of delay as being the variation orders. The
surveys revealed that 70% of projects experienced time and cost overrun and that 35 out
of the 50 projects considered were not completed on time.
This study is about cause of delay in large civil engineering projects in Kenya. It sought
the views of clients, consultants, and contractors on the relative importance of the factors
that cause delays in construction projects in Kenya. The study has shown that all the three
groups of respondents generally agreed that out of a total of 45 factors the top three
influencing factors in causing delay in order of importance as: (a) delay in honoring
certificates, (b) lack of experienced contractors for large projects (c) changes in the
designs (d) lack of professional project management skills in construction projects (e)
lack of skilled tradesmen to coop with the new technology in construction industry.
Project owners ought to pay interim payment to the contractors on time to avoid the
impairing of the contractor’s ability to finance the work. It is also important that changes
can be minimized in order that time is not lost on the extra works and avoidance of delays
can be mitigated by reviewing and approving of design documents as anticipated.
Further, the bidders ought to be checked for resources and capabilities, before awarding
the contract to the lowest bidder.