Construction delays in privately funded large building projects in Bangladesh

Schedule delay in building construction projects is considered as one of the main reasons for project failure in developing countries. Likewise, privately funded building construction projects in Bangladesh have been suffering due to schedule delays. This study investigated the main causes of delay in privately funded large building projects in Bangladesh. To determine the causes of delay, a structured interview with 70 respondents was conducted with project owners, consultants, and contractors. Using the importance index analysis method, the study identified the critical causes of delays. The ten most important causes are: (1) lack of experienced construction managers; (2) lowest bidder selection; (3) owners’ fund shortage; (4) lack of proper management by the owners; (5) improper planning and scheduling; (6) lack of skilled workers; (7) inaccurate time and cost estimation by the contractors; (8) site constraints; (9) improper progress monitoring and cost control; and (10) contractors’ cash flow problem during construction. Furthermore, Kruskal–Wallis test indicates that there is no significant variation among the three groups of respondents, i.e., owners, consultants, and contractors. The finding of this study is significant for identifying the most important causes of delay in large building projects. It also identifies the responsibility of major stakeholders (i.e., owners, consultants, and contractors) in causing a schedule delay, which helps them to find mitigation measures for the potential delays of upcoming projects in advance. Although this study provides the insight into the causes of delay in privately funded large building projects in Bangladesh, it is also significant for other similar developing countries.