Rework in Civil Infrastructure Projects: Determination of Cost Predictors
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136, Issue 3
Abstract
Within Australia, civil engineering works continue to meet the insatiable demand for new infrastructure despite project complexity and cost and schedule overruns. A significant factor that can contribute to such overruns is rework; yet to date research into the root causes and consequential costs of rework in civil infrastructure projects has been limited. Using a questionnaire survey, rework costs and probable causes were obtained from 115 civil infrastructure projects. Stepwise multiple regression was then used to determine the significant variables that contributed to rework. The regression model revealed that the following five significant predictors accounted for 25% of the variance in total rework cost: (1) ineffective use of information technologies; (2) excessive client involvement in the project; (3) lack of clearly defined working procedures; (4) changes made at the request of the client; and (5) insufficient changes initiated by the contractor to improve quality. The findings also revealed that mean total rework costs were 10% of the contract value for the sample. Interestingly, the extent of rework experienced was significantly correlated with project cost and schedule growth . It is suggested that future work is required to determine the underlying factors that contribute to rework in civil infrastructure projects before effective preventive strategies can be identified.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which have helped improve this manuscript. The writers would also like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Australian Research Council.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 136 • Issue 3 • March 2010
Pages: 275 - 282
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 10, 2008
Accepted: Aug 17, 2009
Published online: Feb 12, 2010
Published in print: Mar 2010
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