Abdallah, A; Doloi, H and Holzer, D (2025) Exploring contextual issues impacting delivery and performance of public sector construction projects in Tanzania. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 15(2), pp. 228-246. ISSN 2044-124X
Abstract
Purpose: Large-scale public sector construction projects in Tanzania face numerous interrelated issues. However, past studies have ignored the contextual environment in which these issues emerge and their intra- and inter-phase interactions. Accordingly, the present study seeks to bridge this gap by addressing three objectives, including identifying and analyzing the various contextual issues, investigating their interrelation and discussing potential management strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A two-staged exploratory sequential mixed-method approach was adopted, employing semi-structured interviews followed by questionnaire survey. 45 experts participated in the interviews, while 41 experts participated in the survey. For the qualitative analysis, inductive thematic analysis was adopted to identify key issues and their interrelations. For the quantitative analysis, the issues were ranked using relative importance index (RII). Finally, the findings of the quantitative and qualitative analyses were triangulated to distill the findings into a set of recommendations in the form of a management strategy framework. Findings: For both the inception and planning and design phase, the findings revealed that the most important issues were client-related issues that impacted time and finances. For the procurement phase, key issue was concerning the lowest bidder policy. For the execution phase, delayed payments and consequently financial issues were the primary issues. Finally, for the handover phase, late payment along with additional requirements raised by consultants were major issues. In summary, the present study demonstrated that issues emerging at early phases had far-reaching implications on the performance of the projects. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of the present study is the sample size of respondents for the questionnaire survey. However, this limitation was offset by the extensive interviews conducted in the field. Practical implications: It is envisioned that the findings of the present study will sensitize public sector construction stakeholders and policymakers to the contemporary issues experienced at various lifecycle phases of the projects. Originality/value: The present study identified issues not previously mentioned in the literature and developed a construction lifecycle management strategy framework for addressing the contextual issues.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction lifecycle phases; contextual issues; developing countries; performance; public sector construction projects; questionnaire survey |
| Index terms: | late payment, interaction, design phase, lifecycle, bidder, public sector, sample size, Tanzania, management strategy, quantitative analysis, thematic analysis, questionnaire, qualitative analysis, methodology, construction project, survey, relative importance index, face, developing country, interview |
| Subjects: | professional practice, bidding, psychology, development economics, Geography, production management, research methods, behavioral psychology, research design and methodology, risk assessment, data collection methods, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, methods and analysis, management, administrative law, payment |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Research Practice, Design Practice, International Construction, Contract Administration, Organizational Design, Geographical Context, Project Management, Risk Management, Procurement, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here