Factors influencing triple constraints in public sector projects in Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

The dynamic construction industry has seen many advances over the years, yet schedule delay, cost overrun and reduced quality are still prevalent, with little to no sign of improvement. Additionally, it remains unclear as to which of the key stakeholders, client, consultant or contractor, is the most responsible for the factors affecting the time, cost and quality of a construction project. This study aims to address this as well as determine whether there is any significant difference in the way in which any of the critical factors affect the three respective variables. It goes on to provide recommendations based on the most influential factors. By conducting a questionnaire survey among clients, consultants and contractors associated with public construction projects, 29 factors were analysed and ranked using the relative importance index where a series of Friedman’s tests determined any variation in the effect that a factor may have on time, cost and quality. The main finding of this study showed that the critical factors have different impacts on the time, cost and quality of a public construction project in Trinidad and Tobago. The findings also indicated that factors associated with project changes are the most influential on a project, closely followed by project management factors.