An investigation on the causes and remedial measures on the delays in the construction industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain

One of the most critical problems in construction projects is delay. Projects can be delayed due to a number of reasons including the owner, the contractor, the consultants, acts of God, or a third party. They may occur early or late in the project, in isolation or in combination with other delays. Construction delays are for the most part costly, whilst completing projects on time is beneficial to all project parties. Therefore, it is essential to identify the actual causes of delay. The Kingdom of Bahrain has an active construction sector, but it is one which also suffers from these ubiquitous problems of delay and disruption. This thesis presents the findings of an investigation by 555 questionnaire surveys, nine structured interviews, ten legal court cases, and two case studies, aimed at identifying the most important causes of delays in civil engineering construction projects in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This thesis investigates the major factors causing project delay by demonstrating, illustrating and evaluating the roles of the construction or project manager, contractor, owner and consultants in avoiding project delay. The research has identified nine major causes of delay and seven causes common to all sources of the triangulated data. These triangulated findings demonstrate a comprehensive method of identifying critical factors, which controls for respondent bias. The results show that there is an urgent need to minimise and control the following in the Kingdom of Bahrain: financial difficulties, reluctance to use modem construction methods, shortage of materials, shortage of skilled labourers, slow response and poor inspection from the consultant, inaccurate site investigations and unforeseen ground conditions, and difficulties in obtaining work permits. Based on the analysis and results, a number of recommendations are suggested to reduce construction delays in the Kingdom of Bahrain, including as most critical: the government should create a climate of economic and political stability which can kindle confidence in investors; have a government level policy to reserve quantities of materials in designated areas as well as constitute a research and development cell to develop the use of local building materials; and the government should improve the working environment of labourers.