Evaluation of post-contract project changes and their effects on the integrated roads projects (IRP) performance in Tanzania.

This dissertation is aiming at identifying the post-contract project changes, their causes and effects to specific Integrated Roads Project (IRP) and measures to mitigate them. Contract changes have been defined and classified from literature according to type and causes. Major causes of change orders were identified as design errors and omissions, design changes and unforeseeable conditions. The effect of these changes is loss of productivity regardless of the phase at which they occur and that the amount of change is proportional to the labour cost of that change (larger changes are implemented less efficiently). This study has, through interviews and questionnaires conducted with the client, consultant and contractors, identified post-contract project changes as surfacing and base material changes with the associated change in methods of construction, construction of drainage structures, additional road lengths, slight alignment changes and additional earthworks. All these changes had contributed to cost and time overruns to projects. Among the major causes of these changes were insufficient funds, which led the Government into taking wrong alternatives at times. The road condition dictated rehabilitation/reconstruction but the financial position stated otherwise. Planning, undetailed design and poor soil investigation were also the causes of changes. It was, however, found out that as far as the projects studied are concerned, insufficient funds and planning gave no room for detailed design and neither time for proper soil investigation. In this research, some mitigation measures are suggested including proper and co-ordinated planning of all development programmes, project management training to staff who are in the roads construction industry. The Government is also urged to create conducive environment to programmes, to generate more for the betterment of the economy and avoid the foreign aid dependency on development programmes. Further study is suggested on other specific IRP projects so that factors that affect project performance can be reduced or eliminated.