Critical factors affecting delayed completion of foreign-funded government projects in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Delayed completion is a crucial issue in foreign-funded government projects in Sri Lanka. Anticipated beneficiaries are the main parties who suffer due to those delay factors. Thus, it is essential to investigate factors affecting delayed completion and what are the strategies to minimize such delays. This research identified critical factors affecting the delayed completion of foreign-funded projects and proposed suitable delay response strategies overcome those delays. The mixed approach was used for this research, and a literature review about the causes of delays in various countries. The significance of those causes is different based on project types. Identified thirty-two delay causes through literature review, and the research was validated by semi-structured expert interviews with the Sri Lankan foreign-funded government projects and analyzed with manual content analysis. Afterward, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the industry professionals, and the collected data analyzed using statistical method. Identified twenty-six delay factors in foreign-funded government projects in Sri Lanka and out of them, the top 10 delay factors were identified as the most significant delay factors, such as COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic in 2020, currency sinking in 2022, changes of scope/design by owner during construction, price escalation of materials, fund releasing issues from the funding agency and Treasury for completed work, safety issues in construction sites, improper planning and scheduling of project, unqualified workforce/lack of experience by contractor, contractor’s organizational performance, severe weather conditions. Accordingly, proposed the most suitable delay response strategies for the selected top ten delay factors. At the same time, delay factors allocated to the owners, contractors and consultants in foreign-funded government projects in Sri Lanka. Finally, the recommendations were established to implement of most suitable delay response measures meaningfully so that they could complete foreign-funded projects on time. Similar studies can be conducted in other countries to identify factors and response measures for delays. Key words: Foreign-funded, government projects, Critical factors, delayed completion, Delay allocation