Abstract
This paper assesses the construction professionals’ perception on the major causes of construction project delays and there consequential effects of on the Lusaka – Zambia, construction industry. This is due to the fact that the Zambia construction industry is a major key sector in the development and economic growth of Zambia. Despite this belief, the industry has not escaped the challenges facing other countries worldwide in terms of construction projects performance with regards to the delivery of projects on time as stipulated in the contracts. Data used in this study were derived from both primary and secondary sources. The secondary data was collected through a detailed review of related literature. The primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire survey, distributed to construction professionals, who include: architects, quantity surveyors, builders, civil engineers, land surveyors and project managers. Out of the 50 questionnaires sent out, 32 were received back representing 64% response rate. The primary data from the questionnaires was analyzed using descriptive statistics procedures. Hence, findings from the study revealed that delay in progress payments, difficulties in financing projects by the contractor, delay in approving major changes in the scope of work amongst others, were the major causes of construction delays. The study also revealed that extension of project time and cost over runs are the two major effects of construction project delays in Lusaka, Zambia. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the subject of the causes and the effects of delay construction project delays in Lusaka, Zambia.
Highlights
The construction industry is a key sector in the development and economic growth of Zambia according to the National Council for Construction report (2004)
Further findings revealed that 53% of the respondents, who were all construction professionals, were government employees, 25% were employed by consultants and 22% were employed by contractors
Owner-related causes of delays: Based on the ranking (R) of the weighted average of the mean item score (MIS) for the listed causes of delays, it was observed that the most dominant cause of delays that are client related on construction project delivery time in Lusaka were delay in progress payments (MIS=3.91; R=1), slowness in decision making process (MIS=3.44; R=2), change of design by owner during construction (MIS=3.38; R=3) and poor coordination (MIS=3.29; R=4)
Summary
The construction industry is a key sector in the development and economic growth of Zambia according to the National Council for Construction report (2004). The construction industry in Zambia has not escaped the challenges facing other countries worldwide in terms of delivering projects on time as stipulated in the contracts. Projects or construction works that are not delivered on time to the client are referred to as delayed projects. Assaf and Al-Hejji (2006), defined delay as the time overrun either beyond completion date specified in a contract, or beyond the date that the parties agreed upon for delivery of a project. It is basically a project slipping over its planned schedule and is considered as common problem in construction projects worldwide. To the contractor, delay means higher overhead costs because of longer work period, higher material costs through inflation, and due to labour cost increases
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