COST OVERRUNS AND TIME DELAYS IN HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE PROJECTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - EXPERIENCES FROM CAMEROON By Bertin Bella AkoaCost and time performance is a concern for construction project stake-holders and specifically for highway and bridge projects, due to the uncertainty that characterizes these projects. Cost overruns and time delays have been recorded for centuries, and still occur during projects today. Despite technological innovations in project management, there has been little improvement in cost and time performance of transportation projects for over eighty years (Flyvbjerg, 2008). For developing countries, there is a need for statistically sound studies that describe cost overruns and time delays from which appropriate solutions can be derived. This research aimed to contribute to filling this gap, through case-study research at the Ministry of Public Works (MINTP) in Cameroon.Literature on cost overruns and time delays was reviewed, historical contract data was collected, and a survey was administered to construction professionals in Cameroon. After contract data analysis, it was found that projects funded by foreign aid had the largest project overrun rates, and small projects had higher project overruns. Project overrun rates decreased when project size or duration increased. Inadequate site visits during technical studies and the bidding phase for construction projects were found to be the main causes of cost overruns and time delays for MINTP. Causes of project overruns were found in all phases of project development, specifically in the bidding phase.
Read
