Change Order Claims in the Egyptian Industrial Construction Sector: Causes and Cost/Time Overruns

摘要

This research is targeted at providing a deeper insight into the status of change order claims, from the contractors' perspective, with respect to the Egyptian industrial construction sector. Change orders have been the main cause of claims in this sector. A questionnaire survey discussing the most persistent issues of change order claims management was conducted with a selected sample of Egyptian construction companies. Results revealed that additional scope of work was the main cause of change order claims. The study also identified several factors associated with significant cost and time increases on projects. These included time and material contracts and privately owned projects. Finally, the study presented several recommendations for improving change order claims management. The two main recommendations are to create a standard form of contract general conditions for the Egyptian industrial sector, and to apply a methodological approach for change orders quantification.