Strategies to Mitigate the Occurrence of Errors in Construction Contract Documents

Muluken Abreham Biratu, Desalegn Girma Mengistu, Bereket Amare Sida

Abstract

The purpose of this study is identifying the causes of errors and prioritizing the strategies to mitigate the factors resulting in the occurrence of errors in contract documents considering the context of Ethiopian construction industry. Structured hierarchical matrix was developed based on pre-identified causes of errors, and initially evaluated by experienced professionals as part of content validation of the survey. Professionals working in various construction projects in Ethiopia were invited to participate in the survey. A framework based on Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS was used to prioritize strategies to mitigate errors in contract documents. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was conducted to examine and compare experts’ responses. In addition, sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate robustness of the prioritized strategies. The findings indicated that the major sources of errors based on their ranking are designer-related factors, client-related factors, management-related factors, and project character-related factors respectively. The prioritized strategies to be adopted to mitigate errors in contract documents are (i) adequate and efficient design team, (ii) design review management, (iii) partnering, (iv) provision of adequate time and money for contract document preparation and (v) realistic client requirements.