Saudi Arabian Construction Industry Research Articles

Factors Causing Construction Litigation in Saudi Arabia

The problem of litigation and disputes in the construction sector is a major impediment to a country’s development goals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the problem of high legal costs and long delays that arise due to litigation involving project owners, designers, contractors and other construction parties worldwide and in Saudi Arabia, as well as give recommendation according to the outcomes of this research. The causes of litigious behavior in Saudi Arabia and around the world were identified and documented; also the differences in litigation of the Saudi Arabian construction industry as compared to other countries were identified. Preliminary investigations revealed that there is some level of similarity in the nature of the causes. Thus, these causes were grouped into three main categories, which are expectation factors, communications factors and documentation factors. Further research based on existing literature showed that the practices used to minimize litigation in the construction industry were investigated. The following delivery processes were researched: Design-Build (DB) Delivery Method, Alliance Contracting, Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), Best Value Model (BVM), Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and the Best Value Performance Information Procurement System (BV PIPS). Many of these delivery methods were found to have issues, which means the methods by observation do not seem to be the ideal solution to minimize litigation in the construction industry. The only delivery method found to have no litigation issues was the BV PIPS approach.

BIM in the Saudi Arabian construction industry: state of the art, benefit and barriers

PurposeAlthough there is a boom in the construction industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), it is yet to fully adopt building information modeling (BIM), which has received a lot of attention in the US, UK and Australian construction industries. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide the current state of the art in BIM implementation in Saudi Arabia, as well as perceived benefits and barriers through a case study.Design/methodology/approachA broad overview of BIM, the construction industry in KSA and the research and implementation of BIM in KSA was presented in this study. The research further established the perceived benefits and barriers of BIM implementation through a case study of a local AEC firm. A questionnaire survey was used to obtain lessons learned from the BIM team of the pilot project and was further analyzed using the RII approach.FindingsThe study’s findings include the lack of policy initiatives in KSA to enforce BIM in the construction industry, as well as the lack of sufficient research in the domain of BIM in KSA. Furthermore, the case study also revealed that the most important benefit of BIM adoption is “detection of inter-disciplinary conflicts in the drawings to reduce error, maintain design intent, control quality and speed up communication,” whereas the most important barrier is “the need for re-engineering many construction projects for successful transition towards BIM.”Originality/valueThe study provides a background for enhanced research towards the implementation of BIM in Saudi Arabia and also demonstrates the potential benefits and barriers in BIM implementation.

Drivers of e-bidding implementation in the Saudi Arabian construction industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers for adopting electronic bidding (e-bidding) systems in public construction projects located in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach Literature review was undertaken to identify the drivers of e-bidding practices. Nine drivers, classified under four categories, were identified. A questionnaire survey was developed to assess the significance of the identified drivers. Responses were obtained from 20 large contractors, classified as Grade I and II contractors in Saudi Arabia, and 12 governmental authorities, representing owners of construction projects. The drivers were ranked according to their respective significance index (SI) values. Finally, a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was employed to ascertain the extent to which the two parties agreed on the significance level of the drivers. Findings Analysis of the identified drivers revealed that the most significant driver was “reduction in the physical storage requirements of bidding paperwork.” Further, a consensus was observed with regards to the significance of the drivers. The findings of the present study highlight the strong potential of widespread e-bidding adoption in Saudi Arabia. It demonstrates the key drivers for the implementation of e-bidding through the perspective of professionals within the context of Saudi Arabia. Originality/value Prior to this study, no previous research has endeavored to assess the drivers of e-bidding adoption in Saudi Arabia. The adoption of e-bidding will benefit organizations through improved efficiencies, which could potentially lower construction costs, thereby contributing to economic growth and benefitting the society at large.

Investigative study of project procurement methods and project performance indicators in Saudi Arabia

There exist two basic categories of a construction building procurement methods; those that combine project design with construction under one contract termed design-build (DB) and those that separate the design and construction functions into more than one contract or design-bid-build (DBB). This research compares the performance of DB and DBB in the context of the Saudi Arabian construction industry as an example of international construction practices, by statistically quantifying the effects that project procurement methods had on three objective and 10 subjective performance indicators. The notion that DB outperforms DBB is supported by this research.

Knowledge management-related training strategies in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia construction industry: an empirical study

The growing popularity of knowledge management (KM) in the construction industry has, unfortunately, not been matched by parallel empirical research in training and benefits of KM for construction industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This article discusses the KM-related training strategies implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia construction industry. Given the relatively new and unexplored nature of the research problem, qualitative research method was adopted to collect and analyse data. Results are based on the analysis of data from 46 professionals from KSA construction organizations. This article concludes that training interventions are a complex and context-embedded activity. The current study results suggests that for effective implementation of KM strategies, there is an urgent need for KSA construction industry to develop and deploy appropriate KM-related management training programmes. Leadership plays an important role in breaking down barriers in achieving KM strategies. The practical implication of this research is that the KM should not only focus on the specific knowledge to be captured, shared, mapped and transferred between individuals but should also address strategic concerns at group and organizational levels.

Issues engulfed Saudi Arabia construction workers

This paper presents an exploratory study conducted in Makkah city to uncover issues faced by construction workers from the construction leaders’ perspective. Eleven construction leaders/experts were interviewed to unleash their experiences on handling the foreign workers working in Makkah construction projects. Most of the experts are senior management staffs with more than 10 years’ working experience in Saudi Arabia construction industry. The interviews were carried out in semi structured mode where all the information was captured manually and also electronically. The identified issues were sorted based on its commonality into 10 clusters. Hence in each cluster, the numbers of issue considered by the experts are reflecting the importance of that particular cluster. The result of the clusters according to the number of issues mentioned by the experts are safety issues, restricted government regulation, demotivated issues, lack of quality workers, poor living quality, communication barriers, adaption issues, poor attitudes, lack of logistical arrangements and lack of education. With these identified issues it will assist the construction players in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia in dealing with their workers.

The Safety Policies Practiced in the Construction Industry of Saudi Arabia

Globally construction industry is one of the most hazardous industry and is responsible for the occurrence many fatalities due to accidents. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the leader in the development of construction projects and the Saudi Arabian construction industry is recording a high number of accidents that cause injuries and fatalities. In Saudi Arabia, the implementation of safety policies and achieving an adequate safety culture is one of the key challenges. Construction firms contain well-equipped safety policy but lack of implementation of safety policy is a concern. Safety culture and overall safety performance require proper development and implementation of safety policy. Nonetheless, this subject matter has evoked quite a significant deal of debate in the current phenomenon. Correspondingly, a framework has been developed in this paper, addressing the issue of safety culture in the all-round development within the Saudi Arabian Construction industry. \r\n\r\n The study is based on the interpretivism philosophy along with the deductive approach to assess the issues related to safety within the construction industry of Saudi Arabia. It will then focus on framing and implementing policy as well as a framework into the regular proceedings to improvise the safety culture therein. Besides, the use of the mixed research approach and multiple research strategies has contributed immensely in providing a comprehensive and justified discussion on the issue of concern. Data has accordingly been collected from both primary and secondary sources, which were then analyzed qualitatively and interpreted using the thematic analysis tool. The collected data were also analyzed quantitatively using the SPSS software, where they were tested for reliability and significance differences. ANOVA and correlation testing were also conducted on the collected data to assess the position of the Saudi Arabian construction industry in terms of safety and measures to improve in the future. \r\n\r\n As a result of the analysis, it was evident that management of the construction organizations in Saudi Arabia needs to focus on its effective framing and implementation of safety policy measures into organizations not only to improve their organizational culture but also to enhance their performance as a whole. \r\n

Structural relationship of leadership qualities with worker’s issues for Saudi Arabia's construction industry

One of the important factors for construction project success is managing the workers. It requires good leadership qualities in handling the workers’ issues. This paper presents a study on associating good leadership qualities with the workers issues of Saudi Arabia’s construction industry. The study was conducted within Makkah development region where all the construction workers are foreigners. A questionnaire survey involved 203 construction leaders who were asked to rate the degree of importance of each the identified leadership qualities in handling several construction workers issues. Collected data from this survey was used to develop PLS-SEM model which relates structural relationship of leadership qualities with the worker issues. Validation of the model shows that it is fit with Goodness of Fit (GoF) value of 0.30. The validated model indicates that problem solving group of qualities is the most dominant in handling workers issues.These findings are helpful for Saudi Arabia’s construction practitioners in handling workers issues effectively and thus ensure completion of construction projects timely.

Risk assessment and allocation in the contract for public works used in Saudi Arabia construction industry

This article aims to propose a new model to assess the Saudi public contract for risk sharing through the investigation of the perceptions and proposals of owners and contractors in Saudi Arabia on...

Significant Leadership Qualities for Saudi Arabia Construction Leaders

Construction industry involves diverse individuals and organizations which are all targeted to achieve a specific task within a specific time. It really needs strong leadership quality of construction leaders in managing construction projects successfully. Hence, this paper presents a study to uncover leadership qualities which should be possessed by construction leaders to ensure the success of the construction project. A survey was designed based on literature review and also the outcomes of qualitative exploratory study. It was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire distributed amongst selected construction experts in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The selected experts should have more than 10 years’ working experience in Saudi Arabia construction industry. The survey managed to collect 31 valid responses. The collected data was analysed using Average Index (AI) method to rank the qualities based on the significant level of each of the leadership quality. It was found that 10 most significant leadership qualities required by construction leaders are self-confident, problem solving skills, willingness to take responsibility, honest and trustworthy, respectful with subordinates, sufficient experience, integrity, effective management skills, continuous quality improvement and reliable with subordinates. These identified significant leadership qualities should be considered by construction stakeholders in hiring new employees or retraining their existing workers for Saudi Arabia construction industry.

Health and Safety Perception of Construction Workers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Construction is a high-risk industry due to the high rates of accidents/fatalities recorded annually in various countries. Health and safety (HS) is a major concern of the construction industry. More so, for developing countries where HS cultures are yet to become fully established. In such situations, the perception of construction workers is a viable approach to assess the performance of HS. This study investigated the HS conditions in Saudi Arabian construction sites from the perspective of construction labor. The study employed a questionnaire comprised of 50 issues related to safety and health from an employee’s perspective, on a 1-5 Likert scale of agreement. Responses were obtained from 196 construction workers in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Results from the study showed that the crucial issues identified include: lack of communication between front-line supervisors and construction labor, less priority for safety compared to productivity; lack of employee-engagement in developing safety policies; poor morale and lack of motivation amongst workers; and un-tested emergency response procedures. Thus, the study suggests that addressing such issues will allow for improved safety performance in the Saudi Arabian construction industry.

Project procurement systems for mechanical, electrical and piping projects in Saudi Arabia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the empirical relationship between mechanical, electrical, and piping (MEP) project procurement systems and project performance in the context of the Saudi Arabian construction industry. The study plans to expand the understanding of the relationship of design-bid-build (DBB) and design-build (DB) performance with respect to change order rate, cost growth, and schedule growth.Design/methodology/approachThe paper statistically analyzed 207 MEP projects. It investigates the relationship of project procurement systems and three project performance indicators. Hypotheses testing was used to assess the relationship.FindingsThe results show that projects using the DB procurement system are more likely to have less cost overrun and experience a lower change order rate compared to DBB for pricing and selection methods, yet neither procurement system had an advantage over the schedule duration based on the study’s sample.Research limitations/implicationsThe lack of information identifying the cause of contract change orders limits the interpretation of the findings. Sample sizes in some of the test criteria were statistically small, thus limiting the reliability or confidence level of the analysis for those samples. Caution should be used when interpreting the results as representative of the Saudi Arabian construction industry as a whole; due to the owner’s project execution policies, procedures, and standards, the level of enforcement of those practices may differ from other owners.Originality/valueThe paper fulfills and identified the relationship between the project procurement system and MEP project performance in the context of the Saudi Arabian construction industry.

Building Information Modeling: Awareness Across the Subcontracting Sector of Saudi Arabian Construction Industry

Studies related to BIM implementation status, awareness level, and implementation challenges and barriers in selected GCC have been well reported. Despite the vast Saudi Arabian economy and the volume of construction projects being undertaken in the Kingdom, there is no clear evidence for any such study conducted within the local construction industry. Thus, the authors make a pioneering attempt to first examine the level of subcontractors’ awareness and preparedness for BIM implementation in construction projects in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. This is necessary because the subcontracting sector, which comprises mainly of the small- and medium-scale construction companies greatly outnumber the big construction companies in the local construction industry. Thus, industry wide survey was conducted to this effect. Findings of the study reveal a widespread lack of BIM knowledge across subcontracting sector of Saudi Arabian construction industry. Most of the subcontractors lack some basic understanding of the functions of BIM in the feasibility, construction and maintenance management stages of construction project. Other findings suggest reluctance among the subcontracting companies toward implementing BIM in construction projects. Thus, to maximize full advantages of BIM and to facilitate full adoption of BIM among the subcontracting sector, valuable recommendations were highlighted. It is anticipated that the findings of this paper could be valuable to regulators of the Saudi Arabian Construction Industry and serve as basis for urgent preparation of guidelines and policies to improve the general level of BIM adoption and expertise within the industry.

Lean Construction Implementation in the Saudi Arabian Construction Industry

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed a huge increase in construction during the last two decades. However, many projects experienced time delays, cost overruns and the generation of massive amounts of waste. To address these challenges, lean construction has been introduced into the Saudi construction industry; however, it is still in its infancy. This study therefore investigates the current state of lean construction implementation in the construction industry in the KSA. The objectives are to identify: the types of construction waste, level of use of tools that support the implementation of lean construction, stages of application of lean methods, and the benefits of lean construction. To achieve these objectives, a structured questionnaire survey of 282 construction professionals was carried out. After the analysis of the collected data using mean score and Anova test, the following conclusions were made. In the construction industry in the KSA, waiting is the most common type of waste, while Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the conventional tool supporting the implementation of lean construction. Furthermore, the data suggests that lean construction is most commonly used in the construction stage of projects while customer satisfaction is the main benefit derived from lean construction practices. This study concludes that the level of implementation of lean construction in the KSA construction industry is increasing. The results will help benchmark the current state of lean construction implementation, which will enable the construction industry to identify strategies to implement lean construction in Saudi Arabia in accordance with their needs and project goals, to achieve better productivity.

Key knowledge management strategies implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia construction industry: an empirical study

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) construction sector is an important industry and contributes approximately 20% of the gross domestic product (GDP). However, uncertainty, complexity, sustainability and Saudi Arabia National Policy Plan 2030 are among the most important features of the current construction business environment in the KSA. Therefore, for the KSA construction organisations, the creation of economic value by addressing the above issues now increasingly poses real profound strategic challenges. This paper focuses on key knowledge management (KM) strategies that the KSA construction organisations implemented en route to organisational competitiveness. The findings are in the main, based on semi-structured interviews with 46 professionals from 30 construction organisations. The data analysis revealed that, the key initiatives implemented broadly under the umbrella of KM are knowledge sharing initiatives, knowledge capturing initiatives and knowledge mapping initiatives. The scarcity of knowledge and expertise is, and will continue to be, a huge challenge for many construction organisations in the KSA.

Key knowledge management strategies implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia construction industry: an empirical study

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) construction sector is an important industry and contributes approximately 20% of the gross domestic product (GDP). However, uncertainty, complexity, sustainability and Saudi Arabia National Policy Plan 2030 are among the most important features of the current construction business environment in the KSA. Therefore, for the KSA construction organisations, the creation of economic value by addressing the above issues now increasingly poses real profound strategic challenges. This paper focuses on key knowledge management (KM) strategies that the KSA construction organisations implemented en route to organisational competitiveness. The findings are in the main, based on semi-structured interviews with 46 professionals from 30 construction organisations. The data analysis revealed that, the key initiatives implemented broadly under the umbrella of KM are knowledge sharing initiatives, knowledge capturing initiatives and knowledge mapping initiatives. The scarcity of knowledge and expertise is, and will continue to be, a huge challenge for many construction organisations in the KSA.

Influence of safety motivation and climate on safety behaviour and outcomes: evidence from the Saudi Arabian construction industry

Purpose. Over the last three decades, safety literature has focused on safety climate and its role in forecasting injuries and accidents. However, research findings regarding the relationships between safety climate and other key outcome constructs are somewhat inconsistent. Recent safety climate literature suggests that examining the role of safety motivation may help provide a better explanation of such relationships. The research presented in this article aimed to empirically analyse the relationships among safety motivation, safety climate, safety behaviour and safety outcomes within the context of the Saudi Arabian construction industry. Method. A conceptual model was developed to examine the relationships among four main constructs: safety motivation, safety climate, safety behaviour and safety outcomes. Based on the survey data collected in Saudi Arabia from site engineers and project managers (n = 295), statistical analyses were carried out, including confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling to assess the model and test the hypotheses. Results. The main results indicated that safety motivation could positively influence safety behaviour through safety climate, which plays a mediating role for this mechanism. The results also confirmed that safety behaviour could predict safety outcomes within the context of the Saudi Arabian construction industry.

Projects Delay Factors of Saudi Arabia Construction Industry Using PLS-SEM Path Modelling Approach

This paper presents the development of PLS-SEM Path Model of delay factors of Saudi Arabia construction industry focussing on Mecca City. The model was developed and assessed using SmartPLS v3.0 software and it consists of 37 factors/manifests in 7 groups/independent variables and one dependent variable which is delay of the construction projects. The model was rigorously assessed at measurement and structural components and the outcomes found that the model has achieved the required threshold values. At structural level of the model, among the seven groups, the client and consultant group has the highest impact on construction delay with path coefficient β-value of 0.452 and the project management and contract administration group is having the least impact to the construction delay with β-value of 0.016. The overall model has moderate explaining power ability with R 2 value of 0.197 for Saudi Arabia construction industry representation. This model will able to assist practitioners in Mecca city to pay more attention in risk analysis for potential construction delay.

Introducing a New Risk Management Model to the Saudi Arabian Construction Industry

Research has shown that construction projects in Saudi Arabia have exhibited poor performance for the past three decades. The traditional risk management practices have been ineffective at helping contractors deliver projects on time and within budget while meeting quality expectations. Studies have identified that client decision making is one of the main causes of risks that occur on projects in Saudi Arabia. This paper proposes a new risk management model that can minimize client decision making, and enable the client to utilize expertise, thereby improving project quality and performance. The model is derived from the Information Measurement Theory (IMT) and Performance Information Procurement System (PIPS), both developed at Arizona State University in the United States (U.S.). The model has been tested over 1800 times in both construction and non-construction projects, showing a decrease in required management by owner by up to 80% and an increase in efficiency up to 40%.

Performance Evaluation of International Contractors in Saudi Arabia

AbstractInternational construction contractors are practitioners operating in a complex environment of uncertainty. To be successful, they must learn to effectively execute projects in multiple regions and societies with multinational/multiethnic teams. This paper compares the performance of international and local construction contractors in the context of the Saudi Arabia construction industry as an example of international construction practices. The research statistically quantifies the effects of company ownership upon thirteen project performance indicators. It concludes by pointing out that international contractors have not only overcome the common challenges of delivering projects outside their resident country, but seem to have found success in the unique Saudi Arabian construction environment.