Project Delivery Methods impact on efficient delivery of road construction projects in Malawi

This study will contribute to the body of knowledge by developing a broad-based theory in the form of a holistic framework for optimising the selection and use of project delivery methods (PDM) in developing countries like Malawi. Most industries in recent times have turned to improving their processes to achieve efficiency and the road construction industry has been no exception with particular emphasis being drawn on the use and selection of PDMs. However the impact and the importance of PDMs in developing countries like Malawi has been ignored with current literature revealing a lack of in depth understanding of this subject. This study attempts fill this knowledge gap and address the following research problem: ‘How can the selection and use of PDMs be optimized to improve delivery of major road construction projects in Malawi?’ This research study adopted an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative research methodology. Data was collected using case study research strategy. Multiple case studies were conducted on the key implementing agencies in all major cities in Malawi. The studied organisations included Roads Authority, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba City Assemblies. The empirical data was analysed using thematic analysis approach. The findings of the study show that there are six key elements that have an effect on the selection and use of PDMs in the Malawi road construction industry (MRCI); project management capacity, internal organisational influence, external organisational influence, operational structures and strategies, industry characteristics and ethical behaviour. For each key element the challenges and the proposed strategies have been described. Consequently the RK PDM-MRCI Framework has been developed based on the key elements, the framework has been constructed by integrating the findings of this study with the current literature on PDMs. The framework describes the interrelationships between the different key elements and how they each have an impact on the optimised selection and use of PDMs in the MRCI.