The Causes Influencing the Occurrence of Variation Orders in the Construction of Buildings

Abstract

In the construction of buildings usually, problems occur because of the causes of change orders. The main causer of change orders is the owners, consultants, and contractors. These changes lead to conflicts among them which result in influencing building projects. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the causes of change orders to reduce them and facilitate management. This paper determines the most critical factors that cause change orders from a different point of view, a consulting owner and a contractor, and a study of the reality of the management of change orders when constructing public buildings. The method employed in this research is a field survey using interviews with experts working in the construction of public buildings. Furthermore, the questionnaire was distributed manually and electronically. In conclusion, it would appear that the causes of change orders have been hierarchically according to the viewpoint of the owner, contractor, and consultant. The analysis leads to the following conclusions: Agreement of viewpoints owners, contractors, and consultants on the critical causes of variation orders were: ( the difficult financial situation - change material specifications to benefit the project - technical necessity  - the nature of the site). Moreover, the point of view (owners and contractors) on the essential factors that cause change orders were: (preparing a bill of quantities is inaccurate - weak consultant guess ). In contrast, the consultant's point of view differs, as he considers these causes ineffective. It can be interpreted that the consultant sees these factors as insignificant because of his duty to implement the bill of quantities and designs. This research paper concludes that a complex causal relationship exists between the causes of change orders. The relative importance index (RII) for variation order causes varies among different groups' viewpoints (owners, contractors, and consultants).