Factors Militating Against Prompt Delivery of Construction Projects in Lagos Megacity, Nigeria: Contractors’ Perspective

Delay is a common issue faced in the construction industry all over the world especially in developing countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate factors causing delays and their effects on construction projects in Lagos Mega City, Nigeria from the contractors’ perspective. It is predicated on the incessant delay experienced by contractors on construction projects. Purposive sampling method was adopted for the study;. Quantitative data was obtained by administration of One hundred (100) structured questionnaires distributed to contractors of construction project sites in Lagos State and Qualitative data was obtained from interview of key management personnel of the companies and journals. Ranking analysis of the 33 major causes of delays identified through literature review using Relative Importance Index (RII) showed that cash flow problems during construction (RII=4.81), clients’ financial difficulties (RII=4.47) and poor procurement (RII=4.40) were the most importantt causes of delays in construction project sites in Lagos State, Cost overrun (RII=4.92), late payment (RII=4.59) and project extension (RII=4.45) were predominant effects of delay in construction project. Hypotheses testing on relationship between shortage of skilled labour, improper equipment during construction and delay in construction project using One-Way ANOVA showed positive correlation. For improved efficiency and effective project delivery in the industry, proper payment from client (RII=4.78), competent project managers (RII=4.64), the use of experienced subcontractors and suppliers (RII=4.48) should be encouraged to mitigate against delay in construction projects.