FACTORS BEHIND CONSTRUCTION DELAYS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The construction industry in Saudi Arabia had been developing rapidly. The huge construction project had made huge impact in Saudi Arabia and country’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The aim of this study was to investigate and analyse issues that construction projects face and caused their projects to be delayed. The study focused on construction delay factors from contractors’ perception. A questionnaire was created for contractors to analyse the most important construction delay factors that were faced in Saudi Arabia and occurrence delay factored. Results from the Relative Importance Index (RII) technique, identified causes as primary contributors to construction delays are payment delays, project costs underestimation, legal issues, municipality permit obtain, lack of communication between parties involved, completion time underestimation, instruction delay from owners and consultants, and poor supervision. This study was focused on construction delay factors and main issues that faced by contractors