Contractors perception of factors contributing to project delay: case studies of commercial projects in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Delay in construction projects is a situation where the project cannot be completed under the planned time. It is a common issue faced in the construction industry all over the world especially in developing countries. In the Malaysian construction industry, 17.3% of construction projects experience more than 3 months delay and some of them are abandoned. Hence, the study of factors contributing to delay is very important in order to reduce the number of projects that experience delay in project delivery. Three objectives of the research have been formulated, namely (1) to identify factors that contribute to delay in construction projects; (2) to analyse and rank the causes of delay rated by contractors; and (3) to study the effects of delay in construction projects. One hundred questionnaires were distributed during data collection stage and only 36 responses received. The respondents only consist of contractors and sub-contractors because the scope of the research focuses on contractors’ perception. The data collected was analysed using SPSS software. Seven factors that contribute to delay were identified through literature review, namely contractors’ financial difficulties, construction mistakes and defective work, labour shortage, coordination problems, shortage of tools and equipment, material shortage and poor site management. Of those factors, the three most important factors were found to be labour shortage, contractors’ financial difficulties and construction mistakes and defective works. Besides project delay, the research shows that cost overrun and extension of time (EOT) are the most common effects of delay in construction projects.