CONTRACTORS RATE FACTORS THAT DELAY PROJECTS MOST

WEATHER AND LABOR SHORTAGES, FACTORS OVER WHICH CONTRACTORS AND OWNERS HAVE LITTLE CONTROL, ARE THE TWO MOST FREQUENT CAUSES OF DELAYS TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. HOWEVER, MANY CONTRACTORS ALSO PUT MAJOR BLAME ON DESIGNERS FOR JOB DELAYS, ACCORDING TO A SURVEY BY HAROLD ROTHBART, ASSISTANT CITY ADMINISTRATOR FOR ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. ENGINEERING DELAYS RESULT FROM ONSITE INSPECTIONS, APPROVALS OF DRAWINGS AND MATERIALS, AND FAILURE TO ACCURATELY ASSESS SUBSURFACE GROUND CONDITIONS. MOST ONSITE DELAYS WERE CONSIDERED MINOR BY CONTRACTORS. THESE INCLUDE JURISDICTIONAL WORK DISPUTES, CONSTRUCTION MISTAKES AND EQUIPMENT FAILURE. BUT MANY FELT THAT MATERIALS DELIVERIES AND SHIPMENTS OF MANUFACTURED ITEMS WERE MAJOR CAUSES OF ONSITE DELAYS. RATED LEAST SIGNIFICANT WERE LEGAL DELAYS IN GETTING BUILDING PERMITS, COMPLIANCE WITH BUILDING CODES AND LACK OF FINANCING. ROTHBART'S CONCLUSIONS ARE BASED ON 244 RETURNS FROM A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 400 MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS. CONTRACTORS IN EVERY STATE WERE ASKED TO RATE DELAY FACTORS ON A FOUR-POINT SCALE, FROM VERY IMPORTANT CAUSE OF DELAY TO THAT OF NO SIGNIFICANCE. THIS SURVEY, SAYS ROTHBART, POINTS UP THE NEED FOR MORE FEEDBACK AND COOPERATION BY MEMBERS OF THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM, MADE UP OF OWNER, DESIGNNER AND CONTRACTOR. /ARTICLE/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/08919526
• Publication Date: 1971-6-17

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: p. 113
• Serial:
  • Engineering News-Record
  • Volume: 186
  • Issue Number: 24
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0891-9526

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction; Traffic delays
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215505
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 1 1972 12:00AM