DELAYS ON PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The occurrence of delays in construction projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can be connected to the past four decades where the government has suffered delays in 70% of public sector construction projects. The high rate of delays occurrence in housing construction projects means that the Saudi Arabian government needs to come up with a system that aims to handle the different causes or factors leading to delays in construction projects to avoid time and cost overruns. This dissertation focuses on discussing the different factors that result into delays when it comes to the completion of housing projects in the Saudi Arabian public sector, meaning housing projects financed or owned by the different levels of the government. In this research study, ten case studies were used from different regions of the country, with each one representing a housing project in the public sector. The researcher used the primary data after conducting personal interviews with ten participants, who held certain positions in the respective housing construction projects. Also, the researcher used secondary data through reviewing past literature materials including journal articles, government reports, industry reports and other published material. The opinions collected in the interviews were developed and then linked to the review of literature in the context of the housing construction sector in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The main findings of the research study show that the different causes of delay in housing construction projects in Saudi Arabia include design change of ongoing projects, payment delays, access to the construction site by consultants, weather conditions, topographic conditions, and incapable contractor delaying decisions.