Abstract:
The problem of schedule delay is a frequent and regular phenomenon in the construction
projects. Road construction of Sri Lanka is no exception. Client as a key project
participant has a control on duration of construction phases. This makes client a casual
cause for schedule delay. However, contractor also is a major suffering party due to
unprecedented delays. Therefore, this research is aimed at investigating the contractor’s
perspective of client’s impact to the schedule delay in rehabilitation and widening road
projects (RWRP) in Sri Lanka. Initially, a comprehensive literature review aided to
identify types and effects of delay in road construction projects. Further, identified
literature was refined in the sense of Sri Lankan context through three number of
preliminary interviews. Next, six cases were selected considering RWRPs in Sri Lanka
and steered a document review to investigate the influence of the involvement of the
client for delays. Then, a questionnaire survey was carried out to examine the
significance of client’s causes for delay on contractor’s perspective and to identify the
client’s best practices including suggestions to minimize the delays in RWRPs in Sri
Lanka. The analysed data confirmed that delayed interim payments to the contractors
due to monetary difficulties of the client, change orders by the client throughout the
construction period, delay in land acquisition and delay in handing over the site for
construction work as key client causative factors. This study request client to adhere
with the identified best practices to mitigate schedule delays in RWRP in Sri Lanka.
