Abstract:
Contractors’ performance has been associated with the high cost of construction in Kenya. Given that local
contractors’ undertake construction of many types, this paper assessed the factors that affect planning by
local contractors. A study to highlight the factors affecting the planning of local contractors on construction
projects within Nairobi County was set out. This will assist clients in the choice of right contractors to select for
realising their projects. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the study. In the study, out of sixty
questionnaires administered to local contractors forty, representing 66.7%, were filled and returned. From the
results obtained, it was found that the most suitable performance yardstick to ascertain whether a contractor
has planned for execution of the works are the quality of work (48%), delivery of the project on time (29%), the
productivity rate of the contractor (12%), and the project completion within estimated budget (11%). It was
concluded that planning affects the quality of work resulting into majority of local contractors’ not being
awarded construction projects, while clients are not being influenced much by the budgetary estimate when
considering effectiveness of contractor. It is therefore recommended that there is need to train local
contractors on elementary construction planning techniques. It was further recommended that there is need
to carry out more research on the same since the scenario covers a small portion of contractors’ population.
