Indian Construction Projects-Constraints And Delays : Stakeholder's Perspective
Susan Rego, Deep Gupta and V V V N Rao
Construction delay is a critical function in a construction project. This problem occurs frequently
during project life-time leading to disputes and litigation. Delays cause only harm in construction
project, the harm to the client could be much more than that of contractor. Proper planning and
precautions should be taken to avoid such delays in construction projects in order to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness. In this study, Delay factors were analysed based on 116 valid responses
by stake holders of the Indian construction Industry. Delay factors were categorized into general
constraints namely technical, environmental, social, legal and economical. The delay factors were
categorized as client related, consultant related and contractor related. These factors were evaluated
based on Relative Importance Index and ranked accordingly. The factors were then grouped into
seven categories based on stakeholders perception measured in terms of the Relative Importance
Index and Rank. ANOVA using SPSS statistical tool is used to find the significance of relationship
between constraints considered in the study. Economic, environmental factors have been identified
as the lead causes followed by social constraints also the role of the consultants. Delay factors
identified by the study are perceived and agreed upon by the stakeholders as the ones causing major
delays of construction projects in India.
Construction projects, Delays, Constraints, SEM
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Research Articles
Contractor Selection Criteria In The Indian Context: A Proposal
Krishna Rao M.V., Kumar, V.S.S. and Rathish Kumar, P.
In order to identify the important Contractor Selection Criteria (CSC), a questionnaire survey was
conducted with construction practitioners of indian construction industry. The survey was carried
out by distributing questionnaires to 420 construction professionals and the return rate was 52.9%.
The survey was conducted via combined postal and electronic survey and face-to- face interviews of
93 public clients, 63 private clients and 66 contractors. The present paper compares the perception
of both clients and contractors on contractor selection criteria in the Indian context. The results of
the analysis indicate that there are statistically significant differences in opinions regarding the
relative importance assigned to some CSC among public clients, private clients, and contractors.
The present work emphasises the identification of multiple CSC required to be considered in
addition to cost factors, for selecting an optimal contractor to minimize the risk of project failure.
Construction industry, Contractor Selection Criteria (CSC), Perception, Cronbach's Alpha,
Relative Rank Index (RRI)
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Research Articles
Conceptual Framework On The Relationship Between DBB Selection Criteria And Project Performance
Alaeddin Ghadamsi and Nuhu Braimah
Project performance (PP) is highly influenced by the type of construction procurement method (PM) used to deliver the project. By virtue of this relationship, project clients often seek to select the best method that will help achieve better project performance. Although a lot of studies have been done with a view to develope models/tools for aiding the selection process, there is very less research that has looked at PM's actual- influence on project performance. As a contribution in this regard, this paper reports on a conceptual framework that demonstrates the existence of this influence. The framework is developed based on an extensive review of literature. The review was carried out to determine the main criteria for selecting DBB procurement methods and project performance measurements. Twelve (12) procurement selection criteria commonly cited in the literature were identified. A review on how each of these criterion suits the use of DBB method was also carried out. The latter review was to facilitate ranking of each of the criterion on a rating scale for purposes of predicting the actual level of influence a particular procurement method exerts on performance of a project. Besides offering a deeper understanding of PM relationships with PP, the proposed conceptual framework forms a basis for the development of the quantitative model at subsequent stages of the on-going study.
Conceptual Framework For Management Of Risks Due To Uncertainties In Design-Build Brownfield Projects
Ashish Goel
Brownfield projects have some unique risks due to uncertainties which a contractor generally
doesn't encounter in Greenfield projects. A contractor's bidding for brownfield projects on Design-
Build (DB) basis mitigates such risk by including risk premium/contingency and high mark-up in
their price bids which results in bids loaded with high premium and contingency as per the risks
'perceived' by the contractor. Accordingly, a client pays a higher bid price, irrespective of whether
the perceived risk actually materialises or not during the execution. In the present study, a thorough
literature review was carried out and content analysis was performed on ten project documents to
check risks in brownfield projects executed in India. It has been found that 'ambiguous scope
definition', 'non-availability of information regarding site's existing facilities', 'unclear details of
interface of new construction with existing facility' are prominent design risks. 'space constraint for
carrying out site activities', 'non-availability of shutdown as per construction plan', 'increased
chances of accidents at site, 'frequent changes during execution' and 'increased chances of disputes
during execution' are the prominent execution risks. Thereafter, a conceptual framework is
suggested using both traditional and DB procurement systems. Adoption of this framework will
reduce the contractor's risk & at the same time, it will also ensure that the client pays only for such
risk which a contractor actually encounters at sites thus making the total bid package more
economical for him and also reducing the contractor's risk.
Current Design Practice Of Biaxially Loaded Concrete Encased Steel Composite Stub Column
Amiya K. Samanta and Anjana Sahu
Concrete encased steel columns are widely used in various construction fields, as the concrete used
for encasing the structural steel section not only increases its strength and stiffness, but also protects
it from fire and accidental damage. These sections are primarily designed using foreign codes, since
the relevant Indian Standard code of practice does not mention any stipulation for the purpose of
designing such composite columns. In India, only Institute for Steel Development and Growth
(INSDAG) provides some steps in design and that too using the various references from foreign
codes. In this paper, the concrete encased steel stub column under axial load and moment (uni-axial
and bi-axial) has been evaluated using Eurocode 4 (EC4) and the provisions of handbook
published by INSDAG. At the same time, the authors have presented a non-linear 3D finite
element (FE) model for eccentrically loaded concrete encased steel composite column using the
software platform of Abaqus and compared. No rebar has been included in the FE model with a
view to reduce the complexity and computational effort involved in the procedure. Here, the
authors mainly have made an attempt to assess the load carrying capacity of such composite
column analytically following EC4 and INSDAG recommendations and review the same based on
numerical simulation using 3D finite element software platform.
Research & Publications Department 