An Investigation into the Causes of Delay in Large Civil Engineering Projects in Kenya.

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.