Study on the analysis and evaluation of delays in public sector construction projects in Kerala

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Study on the analysis and evaluation of delays in public sector construction projects in Kerala.

1 M.Tech (Construction Management) Student, Dept of Civil Engineering, Srinivas University Institute of Engineering and Technology. Mukka, Mangalore

2 Associate Professor, Dept of Civil Engineering, Srinivas University Institute of Engineering and Technology. Mukka, Mangalore

3 Professor and HOD, Dept of Civil Engineering, Srinivas University Institute of Engineering and Technology. Mukka, Mangalore ***

Abstract - The Indian construction sector is the country’s economic engine. Because strong infrastructure provides the foundation for all other initiatives, the Indian construction industry is responsible for accelerating the country’s overall growth, and it receives top priority from the government However, due to the geographical, social, political and financial situation many construction projects in the country are prone to delays. These delays canbeavoidedbyidentifying factors andtheir sources. The main objectivesofthispaperare to find out the main causes of delays in public construction projects in Kerala. The research design was quantitative where data was collected from owners, contractors, and designers. The questionnaire is prepared using Google form, added a list of reasons for delays factor’s, each of which respondents were asked to rank on a 5-point scale. Acquired data were checked using the statistical program for social scientists, SPSS. Questionnaire survey was conducted in order to find the delays occurred in public projects in Kerala. Recommendations are suggested to avoid delays in public sector construction projects.

Key Words: Construction Management, Construction, Delays, Construction Industry, Civil Engineering.

1. INTRODUCTION

The construction industry quite often encourages a significantpartofacountry’sGDP,reflectingoftheimpactit hasonitseconomyaswellasworkingasastrongindicator for its growth. So it is one of the most economic sectors However, delays frequently take place in the construction industry. Constructiondelayistimeexceedseitherafterthe contractdate,thatthecomponentsinvolvedandhaveagreed upon for the delivery of the project. In both case delay is alwaysusuallyacostlysituation.Constructionprojectsare complex activities, associated with large costs and long period. A large number of interconnected activities are carriedoutbydifferentprojectparticipantsaretobecarried outduringexecutionofaconstructionproject.Evenwhen the plans are prepared with due, uncertainties and

unexpectedeventsappearonprojectexecution.Often,such eventsleadtodelaysthathaveanadverseeffectuponthe executionandperformanceoftheproject,allconstruction projectstakeholders(finalusersalsoincluded)maysuffer whenadelayoccurs.

Delays occur due to a variety of reasons (have various origins);conbecompensatedornot;andtheymayappear concurrently or subsequently. The impact caused on the project condition may be direct or else indirect. Their appearance direct to additional cost generation, conflicts amongprojectpeoplesandinworst-casescenario,litigation where extra costs may be generated. Often, delays may appearalreadyintheinitialstagesoftheconstruction,such as the stage of the preparation of the plans, or design, obtaining the building permit etc. As a outcome, the constructionitselfisoftendelayedalreadyatitsstart,dueto this happening of delays in previous stages of the project. Special notice should be always taken to the preparation stage and ensure that enough detailed documentation is availableatthestartingstageoftheproject.Whendealing withthedelays,itisnotonly significant toidentifydelays andquantifythedelayimpactsonprojectconditionbutalso toidentifyandquantifytheimpactsofdelaysalreadydone upon further project development. In order to determine responsibility,enabletolearningfromundesirableevents, the primary causes as well as origin of delays should be identifiedaswell.

Theresponsibilityforthehappeningofaparticulardelaycan be allocated to one project stakeholders. If those responsibilities are not identified before starting of the particular project, there can be risk of conflicts among projectstakeholdersregardingtheresponsibilityallocation that can lead even to litigation. Responsibility allocation matrix is defined prior to the project condition that can thereforebeanveryusefulinconflictmanagementtoolasit impliestherolesandresponsibilitiesofallthestakeholders thereforerelatedtotheconstructionprojects.Onthisbasis, the financial reward for harmful events can be identified before

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

1.1 TYPES OF DELAYS

Typeofdelaysgenerallycomesunderfourcategories.

Delayismeasuredamajorcauseofconstructionclaim.The fourtypesofdelaynamely:

1.11 Excusabledelays

1.12 Non-excusable

1.13 Delayscompensabledelays

1.14 Concurrentdelays

1.11

ExcusableDelays

Excusabledelaysarethoseattributabletothecontractor's actions or inactions, and typically include a unforeseen events.Itallowsthecontractortoobtainatimeextensionto completetheprojectwithoutbeingpenalized

1.12

Non-ExcusableDelays

Thistypeofdelaypresentsnosupportstoatimeextension or delay damages for the contractor if the delay can be proved to have affected the whole contract. The owner howevercouldbetheenforcertothedamages

1.13CompensableDelays

Compensable delay is when the contractor will get a paymentduetotheadditionalcostofdelayandaswellasto a time extension for contract performance if there is any changeinscopeofwork,latesupplyofownermaterialsor information,delayedsiteaccess,differingsiteconditionsand letdowntoprovidetimelyandreviewshopdrawings

1.14

ConcurrentDelay

Concurrentdelaysmentiontodelaysituationswhentwoor moredelaysoccuratthesametimeorjointosomedegree. Forexample,ifanownerdeniesaccesstoaprojectsitefor two weeks, and a severe tempest prevents the contractor fromworkingonthecontractforoneofthosetwoweeksas well,therewillbeaparalleldelayofoneweek.

1.2 Effects of Delay

Thecommoneffectsofdelaysinconstructionprojectsare

Timeoverruns

Totalabandonment

Poor coordination (e.g. within site & withsubcontractors)

Mistakesduetooverwork

lostopportunitiesforworkelsewhere

Indirecteffectscancausecosts,furtherdelays.

2. OBJECTIVES

Thepurposeofthisstudyistofindthevariousfactorsthat causedelays in construction projects,theirimpact,and solutionstodelays.Thisresearchaimstoidentifythemain causesofdelays.

Toachievethegoal,itisidentifiedas: 1.Effectofdelay 2.Determinetherootcauseofaproject. 3. Recommendations for minimizing and controlling constructionprojects.

3. LITERATURE REVIEW

[1] Aleksander Srdić et al (2015) conducted research and results showed that delays are a part of the daily routine duringconstructionprojectexecution.Itcanbeconcluded thatmoreattentionshouldbepaidtotheprocessesthatare taking place prior to construction, such as producing adequatedesigndrawingsanddocuments.Theresultsofthe presented research identify the needs of the construction industryfromtheviewpointoftimemanagementanddelays thatoccurinprojects,andcouldbeusedasthebaseforthe preparationstrategyfortimemanagingforallconstruction stakeholders.

[2] Jesper Kranker Larsen et al (2015) concluded in their research that project schedule, budget, quality level are affectedinconsiderablydifferentways.Therefore,aproject managercannotswitchsuchcriticalissuesbyfocusingonly on agenda or budget complications; nor can he or she assumethattime,cost,andqualityareequallyaffected.

[3]SadiA.Assafetal(2006)conductedstudyondelaysin constructionprojectsinSaudiArabia.Clientsspecifiedthat causesofdelayarerelatedtocontractorandlabors.Study indicatedthatownersandconsultantsrealizethatawarding tothelowestbidderisthehighestfrequentfactorofdelay, while, contractors considered severe causes of delay are relatedtoowners.

Basedonliteraturereview,ithasidentifiedthatdelayinany constructionprojectisinevitable.Thecontractorunderthe constructionprojectorcontractisrequiredtocarryoutand completetheprojectwithinaspecifictimeperiodandcost. Thisrequirementisoftenaccompaniedbyarequirementto produce an effective program schedule and cash flow analysis in the entire project which have to be strictly followed,toensureaminimumvariationconnectingcritical activitiesunlesschangesareinescapablewhichishowever coveredwithpropercontingenciesasanormalpracticeof

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

agreeing a percentage of the project cost as contingencies allowance. Importance is thus laid on timely delivery of project within the budget and to the level of standard specified by the owner is an index of successful project delivery. Failure to accomplish the targeted cost will howevereffectinvariousunexpectednegativeeffectsonthe projects.Oneofsucheffectsisthecostoverruns,whichare attributedtofinance,andpaymentarrangement,materials shortages,poorcontractmanagement,inaccurateestimating andoverallpricefluctuations. Bottlenecksintheexecution of the projects can also reduced by the need for a clear intentionandunderstandingofthetechnicalspecifications

4. METHODOLOGY

First,aliteraturereviewwasconductedinordertofindthe factorscausingconstructionprojectdelays.Thishelped to conductasurveytocollectinformationandtofindoutthe causes related to the delays in public sector projects in Kerala.

Followingarethemainstagesofconductingthisstudy:

1. Identifyingtheproblems 2. Specifyingresearchobjectives 3. Specifyingresearchscope 4. Datacollection 5. Literatureresearch 6. Questionnaire 7. Dataanalysis 8. Results

4.1 Designing and collecting data through a questionnaire survey

A questionnaire survey was conducted as a source of primary data. There are two ways to collect data from surveys.Oneiscalledcrosselevationandotheroneiscalled longitudinalelevation.Cross-sectionalstudiesaredesigned tocollectdataoverashortperiodoftime,whilelongitudinal studies are designed to collect data over a long period of time.Across-sectionalsurveymethodwaschosenduetothe timelimitationofthisstudy.

4.2 Data collection

Thesurveywassentto40people,30peoplesareresponded within three weeks of time, so the response rate is 75%, these30people’sresponsewasusedfortheanalysis.Hence, completedthedatacollectionwith75%validityrate.

4.3 Rating scale

Eachstatementinthesequestionsshouldberatedonascale fromstronglyagreetostronglydisagree,startingwiththe ratingsystemwasgivenasfollow:

Stronglyagree–5, Agree–4, Satisfactory–3, Disagree–2, Stronglydisagree–1

4.4 Questionnaires for causes of delay

CATEGORY FACTORSCAUSINGDELAYS

1) Delayindecisionmaking

2)Suspensionofwork

3) Delay in revising and approving documentsbyowner

4)Delayindeliveringconstructionsite tocontractor

5)Delayoffinancingandpaymentsby owner

OWNER

6)Changestotheprojectbyowner 7)Typeofprojectbiddingandaward

8) Unrealistic enforced contract duration

9) Lack of experience of owner in constructionproject

10) Delay by owner in handing over processorapprovalofcompletedwork

CONTRACTOR

11)Difficultiesinfinancingtheproject byContractor 12) Poor site management and supervision 13) Deficiency in scheduling and planningofproject 14) Rework due to errors during construction 15) Delays related to sub-contractors work 16)Lackofexperienceofcontractor 17)Inappropriateconstructionmethod 18) Poor communication and coordinationwithotherparties 19)Unsafepracticeatsite

CONSULTANTS

20)Lackofexperienceofconsultants 22)Drawing,shopdrawingsandsample materialsetc 23) Mistakes or discrepancies in documents or specifications issued by consultants

5. RESULT AND ANALYSIS

5.1 Result analysis chart

Question No.

Numberof companies responded 4&5,Agree

Numberof companies responded3, Satisfactory

Numberof companies responded 1&2, Disagree 1 5 10 15 2 11 7 12 3 4 14 12 4 10 8 12 5 3 12 15 6 3 12 15 7 5 12 13 8 5 7 18 9 11 7 12 10 4 14 12 11 4 13 13 12 12 6 12 13 2 11 17 14 5 5 20 15 14 5 11 16 8 9 13 17 11 3 16 18 11 8 11 19 4 6 20 20 4 6 20 21 2 16 12 22 7 13 10 23 5 8 17 24 10 13 7 25 6 15 9 26 6 4 20 27 6 12 12 28 6 12 12 29 7 14 9 30 8 16 6 31 5 4 21

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

32 10 6 14 33 4 5 21 34 4 6 20 35 5 6 19 36 3 8 19 37 3 7 20 38 3 7 20 39 7 7 16 40 6 7 17 41 7 14 9 42 5 16 9 43 5 14 11 44 1 7 22 45 6 9 15 46 4 11 15 47 4 11 15 48 5 11 14 49 3 10 17 Table-2:ResultAnalysisChart Graph 1 - Numberofcompanieswithpositiveresponse Graph 2 - NumberofcompaniesrespondedSatisfactory

Graph 3 - NumberofcompaniesrespondedDisagree Graph 4 - OverallResultAnalysis

6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors responsiblefordelaysinpublicsectorconstructionprojects in the state of Kerala and their effects and solution. The studyidentifiedthefactors causingdelays in construction projectsacrossvariousskateholdersandcategories.These categoriesareowner,contractor,designer,labor,materials, equipmentandexternalfactors.

Based on the research in the Kerala public construction industry,thefollowingtop6commoncausesofdelayswere identified:

Suspensionofwork

Unrealisticenforcedcontractduration

Delayinhandingoverthesiteformobilization

Difficultiesinfinancingtheprojectbycontractor

Poorsitemanagementandsupervision

Deficiencyinplanningandschedulingofproject.

Following6commonimpactsofdelaysinthepublicsector constructionindustryinKeralawereidentified:

Timeoverruns

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

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6.1 RECOMMENDATION

Construction delays are an unavoidable phenomenonthat occurs in almost every country due to the combination of factorsconsideredabove.However,constructiondelaysare very common in most developing countries. Therefore, consideringalltheaboveandinordertoreduceormitigate thesefactors,thefollowingmeasuresmaybeimplemented inKerala: 

Sufficient planning and the establishment of quality control mechanisms should be put in place to avoid design changes. appropriate time should be made to careful production of design , complete the tender documents, so as to get better the quality of contract documents with minimum numbers of errors and inconsistencies and reduce delay during several constructionstages. 

Designrelatedproblemssuchaschangesindrawings, incomplete and wrong specification; clients initiated changesandgeneralchangecanhaveverybadeffecton project delivery which always leads to delay and cost overruns.Thesearereasonsthatshouldbecontrolled byagooddesignprocessandexcellentdecisionmaking. 

The govt, in collaboration with other stake holders, shouldinvestinhumancapitaldevelopmentbytraining constructionworkersinappropriatetechnicalskillsto makethemgood.Bythiscountrycanconstructquality infrastructure. 

Govt should also make sure that project tenders are based on experience and expertise in a particular constructionfieldandnotfullofcronyism.Ifthismade sure,itmeansthatthebestcompanywillget theproject andcompleteitwithoutdelay.



Tobringinpastperformanceasoneofthemainquality criteria for prequalification and bid assessment for public works consultancy, and expand a quantitative meansforcheckingthepastperformanceofconsultants

Toimprovethe"Contractorsystem"forpublicprojects andtheWorksBureautoconsiderallowingthosewith consistentlygoodperformancetotakepartintheprequalificationexerciseformajorpublicworksprojects.



Clientorganizationshouldprovidewideruseofdirect labourbycontractualrequirements.



Todevelopaneffectivedisciplinarymechanismtotackle non-performancebysharinginformationamongClients ontheperformanceoftheirconsultantsandcontractors.



Clientandprojectteamtosafeteamwork,goodpractice andgoodcommitmentfromallpartiesataprojectlevel throughajointdevelopedprojectpact.



Client to ensure more developed input from different disciplines.



Client to avoid total sub-letting and exercise good controlovertheperformanceandmanagementofsub contractors.



Tothinkagaintherecommendationoftheconsultancy studyontheGeneralformofContractforPublicWorks Projectswiththeobjectiveofresultingamoreequitable allocationofrisksbetweencontractingparties.

REFERENCES

[1] Sebghatullah Karimi and Poorang Piroozfar, “ Exploring Causes of Delays in National Road and Highway Projects in Developing Construction Economy”Journal of Engineering, Project, and ProductionManagement2022,12(2),137-148.



Client to reject low bids have not been taken proper account of the risks involved and make sure suitable provisionshavebeenpermittedforinthetenderprices for the completion of statutory and contractual responsibilities

[2] Shabir Hussain Khahro, Tauha Hussain Ali “ Causesleadingtoconflictsinconstructionprojects: A viewpoint of pakistani construction industry” International Conference on challenges in IT, EngineeringandTechnology(ICCIET’2018)July,1718.



Clienttoexercisehealthychangecontrolwithparticular importanceoncomprehensiveprojectplanningandrisk assessmentatproject

[3] YuliaPanova,PerHilletofth“Managingsupplychain risksanddelaysinconstructionproject”Industrial Management & Data Systems118(2) 2018 DOI:10.1108/IMDS-09-2017-0422

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Clients to make sure appropriate allocation of responsibilitiesamongprojectclientsandtoenforcea clear responsibility structure within their own organization.

[4] Mr.KartikbagrechaMs.Ayushibais“studyondelay construction project in india” [ijiert] issn: 23943696volume4,issue11,nov.-2017.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 09 Issue: 12 | Dec 2022 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

[5] RajKapurShah“anexplorationofcausesfordelay and cost overruns in construction projects: case study of australia, malaysia & ghana” Journal of AdvancedCollegeofEngineeringandManagement, Vol.2,2016

[6] AleksanderSrdić,JanaŠelih“DelaysinConstruction Projects: Causes and Mitigation” DOI 10.5592/otmcj.2015.3.5

[7] JesperKrankerLarsen,GeoffreyQipingShen,Søren Munch Lindhard ,Thomas Ditlev Brunoe “Factors AffectingScheduleDelay,CostOverrun,andQuality Level in Public Construction Projects” DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000391.

[8] M. E. Abd El-Razek, H. A. Bassioni, and A. M. Mobarak“CausesofDelayinBuildingConstruction ProjectsinEgypt”DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364 2008(134:11)831

BIOGRAPHIES

Ashiq K. M. is pursuing M.Tech Construction Management at Srinivas University Institute of Engineering&Technology,Mukka, Mangaluru.AfterBachelorDegree in Civil Engineering, Ashiq K. M. hasworkedasManageratCentury Park, Kasaragod, Kerala for 2 years.

Shrinath Rao K is working as AssociateProfessorintheDeptof Civil Engg at Srinivas University Institute of Engineering & Technology,Mukka,Mangaluru.He has7yearsofworkexperienceat Abroad and 14 years at India includingTeaching,Review &ReDesign of Syllabus, Quality Assurance in Higher Educational Institutions and Construction Industry.