Delays in the Pre-Construction Phase of State Sector Building Projects

This paper investigates the many causes of delays in the pre-construction phase of State Sector Building Projects. The investigation was done through a questionnaire based survey that involved Clients, Consultants and Contractors to evaluate the causes of delays. The technique of Relative Importance Index was adopted to rank the causes of delays in a descending order. Based on this evaluation the causes of delays were identified and ranked, and two remedial measures were developed. Firstly, a process diagram for the pre-construction phase was designed in order to establish the systematic process and to represent useful inputs and outputs at various stages of the process. Secondly, a checklist was formulated in an effort to ensure that important actions are taken at the correct stages to minimise the opportunity for delays. Also, the study proposes suitable additions/ amendments to the 'Form of Agreement', an ICTAD publication, and recommends to make the use of these remedial measures mandatory.