A Case for Acceleration Rather Than Extension of Time on Construction Projects in Uganda

Abstract

The Construction industry in Uganda is one of the fast growing industries in the Economy due to the increased volumes of investment in the country in the last decade. However like in many other construction industries worldwide, the industry faces the problem of delay in completion of projects. In this study a field survey was conducted with face to face interviews and detailed analysis of data received from projects with contract sum more than 5m USD. Each of these projects had a slip in the project cost and time. Data were gathered using structured questionnaires and analyzed using a tabular presentation identifying percentages of given responses. It revealed that rather than give an extension of time, most firms were willing to accelerate works to catch up on lost time. This is supported by the fact that most of the big construction firms in Uganda have the capacity to complete the projects handled in a much shorter time if they see an economic benefit in early completion hence the case for acceleration rather than extension of time.

Keywords: Acceleration, Extension, Construction, Project, Uganda