Identification of the most significant contractors related causes of delay in Sri Lankan construction industry

Abstract

In construction, delay is the period that elapses after the completion date specified in the contract and as mutually agreed upon by the contract's parties. One of the most reoccurring issues in the construction sector around the world is delay (Jadhav, 2018). Delays can lead to many negative effects and one delay could result in the emergence of more delays (Muralidhar, 2018). Large rate of delay in project delivery is a major criticism faced by the Sri Lanka's construction sector. Despite the type or size of the construction project, majority of construction projects are prone to delays, and timely completion is typically exceptional (Jayalath, 2010). Cost, time, and quality equally contribute to the project success (Ramalee, 2016). Therefore, project delay directly impacts on project success. Delays may be caused by one or both contracting parties, a third party who is not a party to the contract, or external forces. Contractor is the party who is mostly responsible for construction delays (Farooqui, 2007). Therefore, taking an endeavour on mitigation of contractor related delays can significantly effect on reducing construction delays. Quantity Surveyor is responsible for the cost aspect of a project and delays are a major barrier for Quantity Surveyors to ensure that cost overrun does not take place (Rathnayake, 2022). Therefore, it is obvious that as a Quantity Surveyor, taking an endeavour on mitigating contractor related delays is important to enhance the performance of Quantity Surveyors. Prior to mitigating them it is at upmost important to identify the most significant causes of contractor related causes of delay in Sri Lanka, since it makes it simple to choose what should be addressed first and what should be prioritized.