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Identifying Factors Leading to Cost Overrun in Construction Projects in Jordan

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 Journal of Construction Engineering, Technology and Management
ISSN: 2249-4723(online), ISSN: 2347-7253(print)
Volume 5, Issue 3
www.stmjournals.com

Identifying Factors Leading to Cost Overrun in

Construction Projects in Jordan
Ghanim A. Bekr
Applied Science University, Amman, Jordan

Abstract
The problem of cost overrun in construction industry is common worldwide and the
construction industry in Jordan is no exception. The main objective of the study reported in
this paper was to identify the causes of cost overrun in construction projects in Jordan. A
comprehensive literature review from various sources was made to carry out the study. A
questionnaire survey was conducted to find the causes of cost overrun related to clients,
consultant, contractor, financial management, resources and external factors. More than 100
respondents participated in the survey. The survey identified 15 most important causes of cost
overrun from a list of 49 different causes. The most important causes were: Schedule delay
(time overrun), frequent design changes, changes and additional works at owner request,
mistakes and errors in design, inadequate planning and scheduling, inflation/ prices
fluctuation, change in the scope of work (by owner), incomplete drawings/ detailed design at
the time of tender, shortage of skilled site workers, construction mistakes and defective works.
In general the study revealed that all parties share responsibility for the cost overrun in the
construction projects in Jordan.

Keywords: Cost overrun, construction projects, importance index, causes of cost overrun,
management

*Author for Correspondence E-mail: ghanimbekr@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION Planning and International Cooperation, the

The construction industry in developing
countries, nowadays, is being faced by severe
problems. The most common are low
productivity, low quality, delay in completing
the project at the right time, cost overrun and
many other problems. As far as cost overrun is
concern, most of the projects faced this
problem when executed [1] and these overruns
produce immediate effects on construction
owners and country’s economy [2]. In general
the construction in most of the developing
countries like Jordan plays important role in
economy and social growth. It is rapidly
growing and consequently considerable
amounts are invested. Growth in this sector is
critical for growth in national income and it is
among the largest sectors that generates
employment within the country as well as a
key indicator of the economy in this country.
The Construction Industry in Jordan
The construction industry in Jordan is one of
the most important economic sectors.
According to the Jordanian Ministry of
uniqueness of the Jordanian construction
industry sector is its complexity with a number
of other sectors, making it more sensitive to
changes in the economic activities and social
and demographic factors [3]. The construction
industry, in 2012, came in the third place with
a growth of (9.6%) after the manufacturing
sector with a growth of (12%) and retail and
whole sale, restaurants and hotels with a
growth of (9.9%) [4].
The estimated volume of work for the
construction industry in 2010, in both the
public and private sectors was about 1.78
million JD. (About 2.5 M. USD). The growth
of the construction industry in Jordan was due
to several reasons. The main reasons are the
prevailing political situation in the neighboring
countries, low bank interest rates, and safe
environment for investment [4]. Facilities
given to the construction industry by banks in
Jordan recorded historical level unprecedented
by reaching to the 1,158 million JD to place
the construction industry in second place after

JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved Page 25
Cost overrun in Construction projects of Jordan
the trade sector [4]. In 2012, the percentage of
contribution of the Jordanian construction
industry in the overall production is 13.35% of
the total contribution to economic sectors [5].
Definition of Cost Overrun
In general cost overrun which is also called
cost escalation, cost increase, or budget
overrun is the excess of actual cost over the
budget. Cost overrun can simply defined as
when the final cost of the project exceeds the
original estimates [6]. Also is defined as the
difference between the original cost estimate
of the project and actual construction cost on
completion of the work [7].
Another definition of cost overrun given as the
change in contract amount divided by the
original contract award amount. This
calculation can be converted to a percentage
for ease of comparison [8].
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE
RESEARCH
The main objective of this study is assessing
and evaluating factors contributing to cost
overruns during the implementation phase of
construction works in Jordan. These will be
ranked in terms of occurrence, level of severity
and degree of importance.
LITERATURE REVIEW
There are many papers published and studies
carried out in the subject of cost overruns in
building and civil engineering projects. These
studies carried out internationally and in the
developing countries. As long as Jordan is one
of the developing countries, more attention is
given to the research works in these countries.
Cost is considered as a prime factor for
success of any project, in additional to time
and quality. However, in previous projects
cost overrun was very phenomenon
worldwide. One study carried out showed that
only 16% of the projects could satisfy the
three performance criteria: completing projects
on time, within the budged cost and quality
standard [9]. Another study examined the
records of more than 4000 construction
projects and found that projects are rarely
finished within the allocated budgets [10].
Also, it was observed that cost overruns were
common place in construction industry
worldwide [11–13].
JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved
Ghanim Bekr
In a global study on cost overrun issues in
transport infrastructure projects covering 258
projects in 20 countries, it was concluded that
90% of projects face cost overrun and cost
performance has not improved over time, as it
is the same order of magnitude as years ago
[14].
Cost overrun in construction projects can
occur due to various causes. A number of
researchers have investigated various causes of
cost overrun in different countries. A study in
Ghana considered 26 factors that cause cost
overrun in construction of ground water
projects [15]. The overall ranking results from
the opinion of the three parties involved
(Clients, contractors and consultants) indicated
that the most important cost overrun factors
are poor contractor’s management, monthly
payments difficulties, material procurement,
poor technical performances and escalation of
material prices.
In Nigeria, 42 cost overrun causes factors were
investigated. It was found that lack of
experience of contractors, fluctuation in the
prices of materials, frequent design changes,
non economic stability and high interest rates
charged by banks on loans were dominant
factors causing cost overrun [16]. In Kuwait, a
study carried about the private sectors
residential projects. The study revealed that
contractor related issues, material related
problems and financial constraints were major
reasons of cost overrun [17]. In Malaysia, a
study investigated large projects and found
that cash flow and financial difficulties faced
by contractors, contractor's poor site
management and supervision, inadequate
contractor experience, shortage of site
workers, incorrect planning and scheduling by
contractor were most severe factors while
changes in scope of project and frequent
design changes are least affecting factors on
construction cost [18].
A study on UK’s construction industry
identified 21 major factors causing cost
overrun. The most influencing factors are:
Changes in design, risk and uncertainty
associated with the projects, inaccurate
evaluation of time and cost, poor performance
of subcontractors and complexity of works
[19]. In another developed country (Canada), a
Page 26
Journal of Construction Engineering, Technology and Management
Volume 5, Issue 3
ISSN: 2249-4723(online), ISSN: 2347-7253(print)
study carried out which aimed to find the
reasons for cost and scheduled overruns in oil
and gas megaprojects [20]. The authors'
surveyed 87 international senior project
managers and the conclusion regarding the
main reasons for cost overruns. The main
reasons found are: the lack of knowledge of
the project and its complexity, inaccurate
estimation of costs, the absence of a plan that
copes with the changes in design and
execution requirements and the lack of
managerial strategies.
Another study examined the factors
influencing the cost overrun on high rise
buildings in Indonesia. They found that the
predominant factors influencing cost overrun
are material cost increase of prices due to
inflation, inaccurate material estimating and
degree of project complexity [21]. Similarly,
in Vietnam, a research found that the top five
significant factors causing cost overrun in
large construction projects are: Inadequate site
management and supervision, lack of project
management support, owner’s financial
difficulties and changes in design [22].
Another study in Botswana, ten projects was
investigated to assess their cost performance.
The study found that the factors affect severely
cost overrun are variations, measurement of
provisional works, contractual claims and
fluctuation in the cost of labor and materials
[23]. In Palestine, the research conducted to
investigate the statistical relationship between
actual and estimated cost of road construction
projects using data from Palestinian road
construction projects awarded over the years
2004–2008. The study was based on a sample
of 169 road construction projects. The findings
revealed that 100% of projects suffer from cost
diverge, it is found that 76% of projects have
cost under estimation and 24% have cost over
estimation.
The discrepancy between estimated and actual
cost has average of 14.56%, ranging from -
39.3% to 98% [24]. Also in Palestine, it was
found that the top five of 42 investigated
factors causing cost overrun in construction
projects in Gaza strip were: Increments of
materials prices due to continuous border
closure, delay in construction, supply of raw
JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved
materials and equipments by contractors,
fluctuation in the cost of building materials,
unsettlement of local currency and project
material monopoly by some suppliers [25]. In
Malaysia and through questionnaire survey in
different projects at Klang Valley, it was
found that main factors that contribute to cost
overruns include inaccurate/poor estimation of
original cost, construction cost
underestimation, poor planning, inadequate
project management, shortage of experience,
poor contract management, increase of
project's costs due to inflation, high cost of
plant and equipment, increase in the prices of
raw materials, unforeseen sites conditions
shortage of fund and defects in the design [26].
Also in Malaysia, another study identified 58
factors of cost overrun allocated on 8 groups.
The study revealed that: Contractor's site
management, information and communication
as the most severe contributors of the subject.
The financial management found to be the
least sever factor [27]. In Zambia, it was found
that the major cause of cost overruns in road
construction projects was the inclement
weather [28].
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A questionnaire survey has been designed on
the basis of an extensive literature review of
various causes of cost overrun. Questionnaires
were used because of their convenience and
cost and time effectiveness when compared
with face-to-face interviews given that the
population companies are scattered in various
parts of Jordan.
The questionnaire was carefully designed to
avoid several shortcomings associated with
questionnaire surveys including poor response
rates, and problems relating to question
construction and wording.
Also it was designed so that it is easy to read
and responses are easy to fill. The
questionnaire was divided into two parts. The
first included general information about the
respondents and their roles, experience, and
the types of construction they are involved in.
The respondents were requested to indicate
their response to the frequency of occurrence
and degree of severity on 49 (the final list)
Page 27
Cost overrun in Construction projects of Jordan
well-recognized construction cost overrun
factors. These causes were categorized into the
following six groups of factors:
Group 1: Client- related factors (8 factors)
Group 2: Consultant related group (7 factors)
Group 3: Contractor related factors (9 factors)
Group 4: Financial management related
factors (7 factors)
Group 5: Resources (labor, material and
equipment) related factors (11 factors)
Group 6: External factors (7 factors)
The form was designed so for each cause or
effect on cost overrun , the respondent score
ranges from 1 to 5 depending on the frequency
of occurrence and the severity of the cause or
effect on cost overrun of project as 5 = very
high, 4 = high, 3 = medium, 2 = low and 1 =
very low.
Table 1: Number of Questionnaire Sets.
Clients
Number distributed 60
Number received 38
Response rate 63%
DATA ANALYSIS
Descriptive and frequency statistical analysis
techniques were used to analyze the data
collected in the survey. However, an advanced
and accurate method is necessary to analyze
the data in a systematic, fast and reliable way.
For this purpose, the computer software
Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS
16) and MS Excel were selected.
The data collected from the survey were
analyzed using the frequency and severity
index method [29]. Details of both frequency
and severity index analysis are explained
below. According to this reference, a formula
as shown in equation (1) was used to rank
factors affecting cost overrun based on
frequency of occurrence as identified by the
participants, which is called the Frequency
Index (F.I).
Frequency Index  F.I  %  =
 a  n/N  X
5
(1)
Where (a) is the constant expressing weighting
given to each response (ranges from 1 for
never up to 5 for very high occurrence), n is
the frequency of the responses, and N is the
JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved
Ghanim Bekr
The population of the study was based on
construction parties (clients, contractors and
consultants) in projects located in the main
cities of Jordan (Amman, Irbid, Zarqa and
Aqaba). Prior to the final formulation of the
final form, a pilot survey was conducted. The
main purpose was to eliminate the less
important questions and to check the clarity
and feasibility assurance. The pilot study
carried out through 9 engineers (three
representing each party- clients, consultants
and contractors) with experience of more than
20 years. The form was revised in accordance
of the notes received. The forms were
distributed to a wide range of engineering staff
representing parties involve in the construction
process (Clients, Consultants, and
Contractors). Number of sets distributed and
received is shown in Table (1).
Consultants Contractors Total
60 60 180
32 36 106
53% 60% 59%
total number of responses. Similarly, a
formula as shown in equation (2) used to rank
cost overrun factors based on severity index as
indicated by the participants, which is called
Severity Index (S.I).
Severity Index S.I  %  =
 a  n/N  X (2)
5
Where (a) is the constant expressing weighting
given to each response (range from 1 for no
effect to 5 for very severe effect), n is the
frequency of the response, and N is the total
number of responses.
Importance Index: The importance index of
each cause is calculated as a function of both
frequency and severity indices, as follows:
F.I  %  x S.I  % 
Importance Index  I.I  %  =
100
(3)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF
THE SURVEY
Characteristics of the Respondents
Respondents included are representatives of 38
clients, 32 consultants and 36 contractors. The
majority of the respondents have experience of
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Journal of Construction Engineering, Technology and Management
Volume 5, Issue 3
ISSN: 2249-4723(online), ISSN: 2347-7253(print)

10– 20 years. The study covered both public
and private sector projects. The participating
clients included government ministries
(Health, Youth and Sport, Municipalities,
Housing and Public Works, Justice, etc.).
Contracting companies, in general, included
only high classified ones. Types of projects the
participants are involved in are: Hospitals,
sport facilities, public buildings, water supply,
water treatment plants, housing complexes etc.
The majority of the respondents are Civil
Engineers in additional to Architectural,
Electrical, Mechanical Engineers… etc. Most
of the respondents hold a bachelor degree with
minor proportion with postgraduate
qualification.
Causes of Cost Overrun
Forty nine causes of cost overrun have been
identified. Hierarchical assessment of these
factors was carried out to determine the factors
based on level of significant. It was assessed
based on Frequency Index, Severity Index and
then the Importance Index for each group of
factors i.e. the client related factors, consultant
related factors, contractor related factors,
financial management related factors,
resources related factors, and external factors.
These are calculated for the three groups of
respondents (Client, consultant and
contractor). The significant factors considered
for each group are those with Importance
Index above the average of I.I. of the group.
Table 2 summarizes the results of the survey.

Table 2: Importance Index for the Factors with Significant Effect.

Probability of Occurrence Degree of Impact Total Effect
Causes of Cost Overrun
F.I Rank S.I Rank I.I Rank
Group 1: Client related factors -average I.I. = 33.93
Changes and additional work at owner request 73.25 1 74.76 1 54.76 1
Change in the scope of the project (by owner) 71.32 2 71.21 2 50.79 2
Bureaucracy in tendering method 63.74 3 61.26 4 39.05 3
Inaccurate quantity taking off and errors in the bill of quantities 58.50 4 61.32 3 35.87 4
Group 2: Consultant related factors -average I.I. = 42.12
Frequent design changes 74.05 1 75.16 1 55.66 1
Mistakes and errors in design 72.00 2 74.64 2 53.74 2
Incomplete drawings/ detailed design at the time of tender 69.26 3 71.38 3 49.44 3
Lack of coordination at the design stage 65.61 4 66.41 4 43.57 4
Group 3: Contractor related factors -average I.I. = 37.50
Schedule delay (time overrun) 72.99 1 75.46 1 55.08 1
Inadequate planning and scheduling 71.95 2 72.63 2 52.26 2
Construction mistakes and defective works 68.35 3 67.14 3 45.89 3
Inaccurate time and cost estimates 63.50 5 64.97 4 41.26 4
Group 4: Financial management related factors –average I.I. = 32.57
Inflation/ price fluctuation 70.28 1 72.81 1 51.17 1
Monthly payments difficulties 67.14 2 64.51 2 43.31 2
Contractual claims such as, extension of time with cost claims 56.19 3 58.35 3 32.79 3
Group 5: Resources related group -average I.I. = 33.04
Shortage of skilled site workers 68.75 1 71.17 1 48.93 1
Late delivery of material and equipment 62.37 3 63.22 2 39.43 2
Change in material type and specification 63.03 2 61.34 5 38.66 3
Shortage of site workers 60.23 4 62.11 3 37.41 4
Low labor productivity 59.38 5 61.64 4 36.60 5
Group 6: External factors group -average I.I. = 15.75
Obstacle from government or local authorities 46.17 1 47.35 1 21.86 1
Unforeseen ground conditions 41.76 2 40.09 2 16.74 2
Inaccurate site investigation 38.42 3 40.17 3 15.85 3

JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved Page 29
Cost overrun in Construction projects of Jordan Ghanim Bekr

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS significant factors causing cost overrun in

In additional to the results presented in Table construction projects in Jordan are shown in
(2) above, the study revealed that the 15 most Table (3).

Table 3: Top 15 Factors Causing Cost Overrun.

Cost Overrun Causes Importance index Rank Group
Schedule delay (time overrun) 56.70 1 Contractor
Frequent design changes 55.66 2 Consultant
Changes and additional works at owner request 54.76 3 Client
Mistakes and errors in design 53.74 4 Consultant
Inadequate planning and scheduling 52.26 5 Contractor
Inflation/ prices fluctuation 51.17 6 Financial
Change in the scope of work (by owner) 50.79 7 Client
Incomplete drawings/ detailed design at the time of tender 49.44 8 Consultant
Shortage of skilled site workers 48.93 9 resource
Construction mistakes and defective works 45.89 10 Contractor
Monthly payments difficulties 43.31 11 Financial
Inaccurate time and cost estimates 41.26 12 Contractor
Contractual claims such as extension of time and cost claims 40.56 13 Financial
Late delivery of material and equipment 39.43 14 Resource
Bureaucracy in tendering method 39.05 15 Client

Below is a general discussion of the results:
1. There are 8 client-related factors
considered in this study. Three of them are
among the top 15. These are changes and
additional works at owner request ranked
3rd, change the scope of work carried out
by owner ranked 7th and bureaucracy in
tendering method ranked 15th.
2. In this study, there are seven causes of cost
overrun related to consultant. Three of
these factors are among the top 15 (table
3). These are frequent design changes
ranked 2nd, mistakes and errors in design
ranked 4th and incomplete
drawings/detailed design at the time of
tender ranked 8th.
3. This study considered 9 contractor-related
causes of cost overrun. Four of these
factors are among the top 15 (table 3).
These are schedule delay (time overrun)
ranked 1st, inadequate planning scheduling
ranked 5th, construction mistakes and
defective work ranked 10th and inaccurate
time and cost estimates ranked 12th.
4. The study considered seven factors related
to financial management. From table (3), it
can be seen that three of them are within
the top 15. These are: Inflation/prices
fluctuation ranked 6th, monthly payments
difficulties ranked 11th and contractual
claims related to extension of time and
cost.
5. Eleven factors related to resources and
their cost and availability are considered.
Only two of them are among the top 15
shown in table (3). These are shortage of
skilled site workers ranked 9th and late
delivery of material and equipment ranked
14th.
6. The group of external factors contained
seven factors. This group was considered
by the three parties with low ranking.
Therefore, none of these factors is among
the top 15 shown in table (3).
CONCLUSIONS
Cost overrun is a severe problem faced by the
construction projects in Jordan. This is
revealed from various factors which had been
identified in this research. A total of 106
samples were analyzed statistically using
Frequency Index, Severity Index and
Importance Index on 49 causative factors of
cost overrun. The most significant factors
related to each group are presented in table (2)
above. In additional, the 15 most significant
factors causing cost overrun in Jordanian
construction industry are shown in table (3).

JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved Page 30
Journal of Construction Engineering, Technology and Management
Volume 5, Issue 3
ISSN: 2249-4723(online), ISSN: 2347-7253(print)
Among these 15 most effective factors, 4 of
them are contractor related factors, 3 of them
are consultant, client, and financial related, 2
of them related to resources and none are
related to external factors.
The main conclusions revealed by this study
are:
 The three parties (client, consultant and
contractors) are responsible for the cost
overrun in the construction projects in
Jordan. Also the rank levels of cost
overrun are not different from the views of
the three parties. They generally share the
same opinion.
 Schedule delay (time overrun) ranked first
cause to cost overrun with Importance
Index of 56.70. Previous studies [29, 30,
and 16] revealed that time overrun leads to
cost overrun. This is true as all the factors
causing delay and time overrun will,
indirectly, cause cost overrun. Therefore,
each day of delay costs the contractor
additional losses such as overheads, cost
of subcontractors and penalty. Other
effects of delay are the costs of required
materials and equipment may increase or
decrease or the goods may run out from
the local market then the cost overrun
occurs.
 Frequent design changes, additional works
at owner’s request, and mistakes and
errors in design ranked second, third and
fourth with I.I.s of 55.66, 54.76 and 53.74
respectively. Any modification or
mistakes in the design will affect the
budget allocated to the project, the volume
of required materials, type of required
materials and labor. Sometimes design
changes whether they are due to client or
consultant cause a rework of already
completed items, which means increasing
project durations and losses of materials
[25] and result in change orders causing
extra cost [16, 21 and 23].
 Improper planning and scheduling at
construction stage was ranked 5th with I.I
of 52. 26. This result was supported by
several studies [18, 22 and 16]. Local
contractors are often failing to come out
with a practical and workable work plan at
the initial planning stage. This failure is
interrelated with lack of a systematic site
JoCETM (2015) 25-33 © STM Journals 2015. All Rights Reserved
management and inadequate contractor’s
experience towards the project. The
consultant only checks and reviews the
work program submitted by the
contractors based on experience and
intuitive judgment. Improper planning at
the initial stages of a project manifests
throughout the project causes delay and
then cost overrun.
 Financial difficulties could also occur
from the owner side where there is a delay
payment of monthly valuation to the
contractors.
 Mostly, projects are awarded to the lowest
bidder with lack of supervision skills. In
such cases, less consideration is paid to
contractor’s plan, cost control, resource
allocation (labor, material and finance).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Considering the outcomes from the literature
review and the survey, the following
recommendations are suggested to manage the
cost overrun risks associated with construction
projects in Jordan. These recommendations are
presented in three categories: Client,
Consultant, and Contractor.
Client
 Appropriate funding level should be
determined at the very inception of the
construction project so that regular
periodic payments may be made to
contractor for work done.
 Reduce change orders throughout the
implementation phase to avoid the cost
overrun.
 Revise the bid documents (specifications,
quantities take-off, drawings and design of
the project) within the agreed schedule.
 Check the resources of financial
capabilities of the lowest bidding
contractors before awarding the contract.
Consultant
 Consultant should review and approve
design documents, shop drawings and time
schedule to avoid delay then cost overrun.
 Consultant should be flexible and
reasonable when evaluating the
contractor’s works. They should
compromise between cost and quality of
works.
Page 31
Cost overrun in Construction projects of Jordan
 The consultant should employ highly
qualified personnel to provide the required
instructions in the right time and to be able
to answer any question raised by the
contractor to avoid delay and then cost
overrun.
 Consultants required to be sure that there
are proper channels of communications
and a good coordination among all parties
to avoid any delay and then cost overrun.
 Contractor is required to concentrate on
planning and scheduling tasks during the
implementation by matching the available
resources and time.
 Time schedule for material and equipment
delivery to the site and usage of material
in the site must be prepared in order to
avoid shortage or lack of materials.
 Assigning adequate qualified number of
staff for site planning and management,
administrative and technical staff to make
arrangements to complete the project at
the right time and then to avoid cost
overrun.
 It is recommended to closely monitor the
financial spending of the project and
payments because any problem in
financial aspects will lead to cost overrun.
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Cite this Article
Ghanim A. Bekr. Identifying Factors
Leading to Cost Overrun in
Construction Projects in Jordan. Journal
of Construction Engineering,
Technology and Management. 2015;
5(3): 25–33p.
Page 33