Exploring the Nature and Impact of Client-Related Delays on Contemporary Saudi Construction Projects

In rapidly developing countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), where the construction of buildings and supporting infrastructure is critical to achieving strategic developmental milestones, delays to capital projects can derail other sectors of the economy and could derail the Vision 2030 agenda. Attempts have been made over the years to explore the causes of construction project delays, including those in Saudi Arabia. Many of these studies are either outdated, narrow in scope, or tend to use only qualitative data, and not many have focused on the client-related delay factors affecting projects critical to Vision 2030. This study investigates client-related delay factors in terms of their correlation with key characteristics of recently completed construction projects in KSA. This objective necessitated the use of historical data; hence, an archival analysis was conducted for 37 projects among three different public sector ministries. The data were subjected to manual extraction, descriptive statistical analysis, and the use of established models such as schedule performance index (SPI) and cost performance index (CPI), and inferential (correlation) in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) using point-biserial correlation coefficient (rpb, where p > 0.05) to explore association and impact of project characteristics on themselves and on client-related causes of delay. Results revealed eight unique client-related causes of delay, with SPI values of 0.71 to 0.82, as well as CPI values ranging from 0.84 to 0.89, suggesting very poor time and cost performance across all projects, as well as the magnitude of correlation of key project characteristics (cost, duration, additional time, and additional cost) with the eight client-related causes of delay. The findings can help the client (authorities) understand and curb delays that are due to their own making, and it is recommended that such delay factors, whose likelihood are now established and whose potential impact can be measured against key project characteristics, be developed into a delay risk impact tool. International joint ventures can bring technical expertise for Vision 2030, but they cannot eliminate delays due to government practices.