Factors affecting success of public sector construction project, perspective of contruction firms in Sekondi Takoradi metropolis

Abstract

The successful execution of Construction projects is often undermined by many factors such as poor project team coordination, delays, and cost overruns resulting in diverse effects such as tying down the clients‟ capital, and project abandonment. The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting the success of district assembly construction projects in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and recommend interventions to enhance the success of assembly projects. The specific objectives of the study included; to identify constraints to the success of construction projects in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, to identify the enabling factors that enhance the success of construction projects in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly and to make recommendations for enhancing project success in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. The study adopted a quantitative approach involving empirical data obtained from the administration of structured questionnaires to a random sample of 56 registered D1K1 and D2K2 construction firms in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis-Ghana. The findings of the study suggest that the key constraints to project success could be categorized into five (5) main themes; namely: Financing-related issues, political-related issues, market forces-related issues, project-related issues and bidding-related issues. The study also indicated that the factors that enhance the success of public construction projects of the studied firms are leadership skills of site managers, adoption of motivation system, adequate scheduling and material management, use of competent/skilled and experienced supervisor/workmen and effective collaboration of project participants. It is recommended that contractors take cognizance of these factors to achieve success in construction projects.