Problems faced by contractors in achieving excellence in the Sri Lankan construction industry

Abstract

Sri Lankan Construction Industry is often cited as an inefficient performer in comparison with the other countries (Ganesan; 1991). While the professionals in the industry state that the contractors are inefficient, the contractors claim that they have many problems and obstacles to perform efficiently (Perera; 1991). This situation emphasizes that it is an imperative necessity to identify and establish the difficulties faced by the contractors in achieving excellence in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry. The contractors better results.This research was undertaken to identify the most pressing problems faced by large scale contractors. The research work was done in four phases. Literature study, identfication of factors, identification of most pressing problems, and data analysis.The problems were categorized as long term problems and short term problems. They were then categorized as very important, important, less important and not important. The problems which received more than 80% agreement from the contractors as very important priority were considered as the most pressing problems.The results shows that the most pressing short term problem is the payment delays. The most pressing long term problem is the instability of the contractors due to unrealistic bidding behaviors and insufficient concern for future planning with inconsistent policies.