The causes, impacts and mitigations of delay in megaprojects in the Sultanate of Oman

Adekunle Sabitu Oyegoke, Naseer Al Kiyumi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose
Project delay is becoming a problem in the Sultanate of Oman as evidenced by many delayed projects across the country. The purpose of this study is to examine causes and effects of delays in megaprojects in the Sultanate of Oman with recommendations to mitigate same.

Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of literature identifies through main stakeholders the numerous causes, impacts and methods of mitigating delay from previous studies. A questionnaire survey on Oman was carried out to sample opinions from the practitioners; 53 questionnaires were received and analysed using the relative importance index (RII) method.

Findings
The five most frequent causes of delay in the Sultanate of Oman, in rank order, are: selection of the lowest bid, instead of best bid for the client (RII: 0.698); the financial condition of the main contractor (RII: 0.664); delay in decision-making by the client (RII: 0.656); and poor construction planning by the main contractor (RII: 0.649). Also, the findings indicate that extra cost (RII: 0.754) and project time overrun (RII: 0.724) are the most significant effects of the delay in the Oman megaprojects. The use of experienced contractors and consultant (RII 0.675), efficient construction planning by the main contractor and effective site management and supervision (RII: 0.667) are essential mitigation methods of construction delay in Oman megaprojects.

Originality/value
The study recommends three-part novel solutions to mitigate delay in the Oman construction industry.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)286-302
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Financial Management of Property and Construction
Volume22
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Nov 2017

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