Oh, J; Touran, A; D'Angelo, D; Clark, T; Fisher, C; Gaskins, C and Ashuri, B (2025) Empirical assessment of variability in project effectiveness and change orders across project delivery methods. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 151(11): 04025170, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
This study presents an empirical evaluation of variability in project outcomes and change orders, segmented by reason types and project delivery methods - design-build procured by best-value (D-B/BV), design-build procured by lowest bid (D-B/LB), and design-bid-build procured by lowest bid (D-B-B/LB). Data from 67 completed highway construction projects, encompassing 1,155 change orders, were analyzed using statistical tests and metrics assessing project effectiveness and change orders. Key findings include: (1) D-B/BV and D-B/LB outperformed the traditional D-B-B approach, with lower schedule and cost growth, higher intensity, and statistically lower award growth and estimate-to-final cost growth. D-B projects also exhibited a statistically significant reduction in change order frequency per project, pointing to better efficiency; (2) a breakdown of change order reasons showed that Modification by construction personnel was a common issue across all delivery methods. D-B-B/LB projects were particularly prone to frequent issues such as Design oversight, while D-B projects faced persistent challenges like Deleting/adding items. Notably, frequency did not always align with average impact. One example is Modification by construction personnel, which occurred less often in D-B/LB but led to the highest average schedule and cost effects, followed by D-B/BV and D-B-B/LB, reversing the frequency patterns; and (3) total impact analysis confirmed that certain reason types such as Modification by construction personnel were major contributors to overall project schedule and cost growth. These findings contribute to project management in transportation construction by highlighting performance patterns and key risks across delivery methods, helping decision-makers improve planning, control, and overall project efficiency. Future research can build on this work using multistate data sets and broader comparisons to explore regional and contractual influences and uncover causal links between delivery methods and outcome variability.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | project management, variability, project delivery, estimate, effectiveness, highway construction, change order, design-bid-build, project outcome, delivery method, efficiency, statistical test, impact analysis, construction personnel |
| Subjects: | project completion, contractual arrangements, workforce, financial and cost management, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, civil engineering, performance management, project management theory and practice, contractual condition, delivery method, statistical analysis |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Cost Management, Human Resources, Contract Administration, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Procurement, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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