ASSESSING THE CORRELATES OF DELAY IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN THE CASE OF FE CONSTRUCTION PLC.

Abstract

Construction delays are common in construction industry and create major concerns for project performance. Construction delays are caused by many factors. The aim of this paper is to identify delay factors on building construction projects at FE Construction Company. This study conducted on selected site found in Addis Ababa. For this purpose, 29 different delay factors were identified, categorized into eight major groups namely, client related delay cause factor, contractor related delay cause factor, consultant related delay cause factor, material related delay cause factor, labour related delay cause factor, contract related delay cause factor, contractual related delay cause factor and external related delay cause factor. A conceptual framework was also developed using the identified variables for project delay. Explanatory research design was used to assess the correlates of delay causing factors in the selected projects. Primary and secondary data were also used for the achievement of the study. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire. A total of 45 out of 50 questionnaires were filled by different members of the selected 8 project site from FE Construction Company namely, arekayib project found in wemzeker library, opd project found in black lion hospital, a project found in 4 kilo campus, 22 golagole, akaki, mekanisa, semit 72 and legehar for apartment purpose. The collected data is quantified by the relative importance index method. The ranking of the factors and groups were demonstrated according to their importance level on delay. According to the finding results, the factors owner interference, Frequent change orders, Long waiting time for approval of tests and inspection, Shortage of construction material, Mistakes in design documents, Inappropriate organizational structure linking all parties involved in the project, Mistakes and discrepancies in design documents, Discrepancies in contract document and Delays caused by subcontractors were contributing the most to delays and it need attention. This project work finally forwarded some recommendations to minimize and control delays in construction projects. The key suggestions forwarded were: use appropriate construction method, complete and proper design at the right time, proper material procurement, effective strategic planning and proper project planning and scheduling.