Investigating the causes of variation within the construction projects in UAE

This study has been conducted before the economic crisis that started in the third quarter of 2008. Over the past decade, the construction industry in UAE in general and Dubai in particular witnessed an unprecedented boom. However, despite the readiness of financial resources as well as the active participation of multinational construction companies, the construction projects suffered from considerable variations in time and cost. The study aimed at investigating the main attributes of the construction industry in Dubai in an attempt to identify the key factors that cause variations. The research comprised a set of semi-structured interviews to identify the factors followed by a questionnaire to investigate the probability of occurrence and the impact of the main factors on time and cost. The results indicated that the prevalent intervention of the clients in the decision making process throughout the project lifecycle coupled with the scope creep are the main causes of variation in time and cost. In addition, the results reflected the gap between supply and demand in the construction sector due to the rapid growth fuelled by the needs of the fast growing economy in UAE. The study concluded with recommendations to create more awareness among stakeholders, and especially clients, of the importance of the initiation and planning phases of the project to hedge against future variations. The main findings of this study are still envisaged as significant despite the financial crunch.