Management of defect claims in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka

Infrastructure projects lead to more claims due to their complexity, high cost, and time consumption compared to building projects. Defect claims are considered to be inevitable in infrastructure projects. Thus, this study aims to investigate how to manage defect claims in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. The study adopted a mixed research approach Semi-structured interviews with experts was used to identify and validate causes, consequences and management strategies of defect claims in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. The Questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate their significance. Manual content analysis and relative important index was used to analyse the data. The research findings reveal subcontractor failures are the most significant cause of defect claims. Further, the most critical consequence of defect claims is cost overrun, and clear and frequent communication is the most effective strategy for managing defect claims. This study contributes to the theory by exposing significant causes, consequences, and strategies to manage defect claims in infrastructure projects. Findings of the study will help the industry to manage defect claims in infrastructure projects and enable the successful completion of projects by achieving their targets.