International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 8, No.

2, April 2017

Construction Projects Cost Overrun: What Does the

Literature Tell Us?
Abdulelah Aljohani, Dominic Ahiaga-Dagbui, and David Moore

 Humber bridge in the UK (175% overrun) and the Paris Nord

Abstract—Construction industries have a poor reputation in TGV in France (25% overrun) [3]. In Korea, a study done by
terms of finishing projects on budget. Nine out of ten projects Seung Heon, Sungmin [4] showed that the average final cost
normally experience cost overrun. Different causes for cost of seven megaprojects (defined as a project that cost more
overrun have been identified. This paper critically reviews the
literature concerning cost overrun in construction projects in
than $1 billion) at completion increased by 122.4% compared
different countries to identify the main potential causes. 173 to the original budgeted cost. The average cost overrun for 29
causes of cost overrun have been found in seventeen contexts medium sized projects (defined as a project that cost between
with the main potential causes being: frequent design change, $50 million and $1 billion) studied within the same time span,
contractors’ financing, payment delay for completed work, lack is 32.5%. Another study conducted by Merrow, McDonnell [5]
of contractor experience, poor cost estimation, poor tendering includes 52 Megaprojects from different regions around the
documentation, and poor material management.
world and their budgets between $0.5 and $30 billion (in 1984
Index Terms—Construction projects, cost overrun, literature value US dollars). The results show that only 4 projects met
review. their cost goals, while the rest accrued average cost overruns
of 88%. From the USA, Pickrell’s [6], [7] studies of cost
estimation in eight US rail projects identified an average cost
I. INTRODUCTION overrun of 61%. Moreover, a Dutch study containing 78
Besides being unique, expensive and usually carried out projects (Road: 37 projects, Rail: 26 projects, Tunnel: 8
within a limited time frame, construction projects have been projects, Bridge: 7 projects) found an average cost overrun of
described as complicated and uncertain in nature, as no two 16.5% [8]. Finally, a study published by Flyvbjerg, Bruzelius
construction projects are ever exactly the same. Even if two [3] concerning the quality of the estimating of cost and
construction projects are similar, the opportunity for exactly demand in 258 transport projects located in twenty countries
repeating the process of execution is very low, as most of the (constructed between 1927 and 1998) found that nine out of
projects’ elements are site-specific. Although the level of ten projects (86% of the projects) experienced cost overrun,
investment represented by construction projects has increased with the overall average overrun being 28%.
over the years, construction projects have a consistently poor In light of the above, cost overrun should be regarded as a
record in finishing within budget. Morris [1] considers cost vital issue in the management of construction projects
overrun as a “regular feature” for public projects. Himansu [2] globally; this phenomenon is not limited to a specific country
defines cost overrun as “…the degree to which the final cost as the above studies show. The variation on the percentages of
of the project exceeds the ‘base’ estimate”. cost overrun could be related to different factors such as the
Construction projects experiencing cost overrun have the project size [9]-[11], project type [11] and project location as
potential to become defaulted projects, with a resultant it was one of the main findings obtained from the following
significant impact on all the projects’ parties. For example: studies [8], [12]-[14]. Equally, the studies support the claim
clients will be unable to use the facility, as the projects have that the worldwide findings are not always applicable for
not finished yet, and consultation and designing fees might individual countries.
increase. For contractors the impact could include loss of
reputation and being “trapped” in only one project for long
time. II. METHODOLOGY
One of the most famous projects to experience cost overrun A large number of factors leading to project cost overruns
was the Channel Tunnel project. Construction costs increased have already been identified by previous studies. This study
from £2600 million to £4650 million (80% higher than the takes such previous studies one step forward by identifying
forecasted costs) [3]. Other examples of projects with cost the main potential factors leading to cost overrun within
overrun are found in different countries around the world such different contexts. The identification of these factors should
as: the Great Belt link in Denmark (54% overrun), the improve the performance of construction projects and
increase the probability of successful project completion. A
critical literature review methodology is used to achieve this
Manuscript received June 24, 2016; revised August 30, 2016. This work goal.
was supported by Albaha University, Albaha, Saudi Arabia and Robert
Gordon University, UK. A. Previous Studies
The authors are with the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and
Built Environment, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen, Table I comprises the 17 national studies selected from the
AB10 7QB, Scotland, UK (e-mail: a.s.a.aljohani@rgu.ac.uk, literature review.
d.m.moore@rgu.ac.uk, d.d.ahiaga-dagbui@rgu.ac.uk).

doi: 10.18178/ijimt.2017.8.2.717 137

 International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 8, No. 2, April 2017

TABLE I: SUMMARY OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES Study Country Methodology Number of

Study Country Projects’ type Projects Phase factors
[15] Malaysia Building projects cost more Not mentioned identified
than $ 1.1 M. owners, 17.5% worked for
[16] Nigeria Telecom projects Not mentioned contractors, 14.8% designers, 8%
[17] WW Transport projects Planning and consulting companies, 2.1% as
construction private owners).
[18] Turkey Residential construction Not mentioned [21] Saudi Identified factors from the existing 41
projects Arabia literature.
[19] Pakistan Construction projects Not mentioned Analysis 160 questionnaire survey
[20] Israel Building and infrastructure Not mentioned (160 Project Manager (23% Owners,
projects 52% Contractors, 25%
[21] Saudi Infrastructure projects Not mentioned Consultants)).
Arabia [22] Kuwait Identified factors from the existing 7
[22] Kuwait Private residential projects Implementation literature.
Phase Analysis 450 personal interview
[23] Australia Highway construction projects Not mentioned survey of owners. (450 house
[24] Gaza Strip Building, roads, water and Implementation owners).
sewage, electro-mechanical Phase [23] Australia Analysis 231 highway projects (140 37
and public works. open tender, 91 negotiate, and 7
[25] UK Construction projects Not mentioned panel experts)
[26] Indonesia High-rise projects Implementation [24] Gaza Identified factors from literature 42
Phase Strip review, personal interviews with a
[27] Uganda Construction projects Implementation number of contractors and the
Phase experiences of the researchers.
Analysis 66 questionnaire survey (66
[28] South FIFA World Cup stadia Not mentioned
Contractors).
Africa
[25] UK Analysis 141 open-ended 341
[29] Nigeria Highway projects Not mentioned
questionnaire, asking professional
[30] Ghana Groundwater projects Implementation
cost estimators to list up to five
phase
reasons for cost overrun.
[31] Zambia Road construction projects Not mentioned
[26] Indonesia Identified factors from literature 7
review.
Most of the studies have not identified in which project Analysis 31 questionnaire survey (31
phase the cost overrun occurred; only six out of seventeen Project Manager)
The questionnaire survey was
studies identify the causes of cost overrun during the supported by follow-up interviews.
implementation phase. [27] Uganda Identified factors using face-to-face 22
discussion
B. Previous Studies Methodologies Analysis 742 questionnaire survey
As the summary table shows, almost all the studies (13 out (30% client, 57% consultant, 13%
contractors).
of 17) used a questionnaire as the sole data collecting method. [28] South Identified factors from the existing 18
The respondents for the questionnaire typically comprised all Africa literature.
the projects stakeholders (Owners, Contractors and Analysis 22 questionnaire survey (5
clients, 3 contractors, 14 consultant).
Consultants) (see Table II). [29] Nigeria Analysis completed highway 23
projects.
TABLE II: SUMMARY OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES Identified factors from the existing
Study Country Methodology Number of literature.
factors Analysis 37 questionnaire survey (9
identified clients, 15 contractors,
[15] Malaysia Preliminary study (interview). 35 13consultants).
Analysis 97 questionnaire survey (16 [30] Ghana Identified factors from the existing 26
Clients, 25 Consultants, 56 literature.
Contractors). Analysis 72 questionnaire survey (28
[16] Nigeria Identified factors from the existing 42 owners, 25 contractors,
literature. 19consultants).
Analysis 53 questionnaire survey
(23% Clients, 41% Consultants, 36%
Contractors).
[17] WW Analysis 258 projects. 3 III. RESULTS
[18] Turkey Identified factors from the existing 40 The total number of factors identified across the 16 studies
literature.
Analysis 79 questionnaire survey (30 reaches 366 factors. After removing factors that are
PM Consultants, 26 Contractors, 23 essentially a duplication (therefore reported more than once
Owners/clients). across the study), and merging factors with a similar meaning
[19] Pakistan Identified factors from the existing 42
literature.
together, the reduced total number of factors is 175. These
Analysis 24 questionnaire survey (24 have then been classified according to the ‘headline’ cause as
Construction firms). summarised in Fig. 1. Causes are ultimately classified as
[20] Israel Identified 15 root factors from the 15 being either internal or external to the project. Each class
existing literature and from local
experts. comprises several sub-classes: project financer, project owner,
Analysis 195 questionnaire survey and projects designer and consultants are sub-classifications
(45% Project Manager (owner for the internal causes, while system, country related,
representative), 20.6% Public

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economic related, weather and unclassified are Factors Frequency

sub-classifications for the external causes. Client's over influence/interference on the 2
construction process.
Lack of coordination between project’s parties. 5
Lack of communication between project’s parties. 4
Wrong / inappropriate choice of site. 6
Insufficient information/investigation about ground 9
conditions.
Services relocation. 1
Contractual claims. 3

C. Project’s Contractor
The project’s contractor causes are shown in Table V:

TABLE V: PROJECT’S CONTRACTOR CAUSES

Factor Frequency
Technical incompetence, poor organizational 1
structure, and failures of the enterprise.
Lack of contractor’s experience 8
Poor project management. 1
Incompetent subcontractors and suppliers. 2
Incorrect preparation and planning by contractor. 4
Fig. 1. Cost overrun causes. General poor preparation, planning and 1
investigation of existing site conditions by
Internal Factors: contractors.
Internal factors are divided into the following sub-factors Inadequate review for drawings and contract 1
which are: documents.
Poor cost advice, inadequate contingency allowance 1
A. Project’s Financier or assessment of risks.
Optimism bias. 1
The project financier causes are shown in Table III:
Wrong method of cost estimate. 3
TABLE III: PROJECT’S FINANCIER CAUSES Inaccurate cost estimates. 4
Factors Frequency Lack of cost planning, monitoring and controlling 9
Owners’ financial difficulties. 2 during pre-and post-contract stages.
Too small a design budget. 1 Some tendering manoeuvres by contractors, such as 1
Slow and delay payment of completed work. 5 front- loading of rates.
Contractor’s poor site management and supervision 13
B. Project’s Owner skills.
The project’s owner causes are shown in Table IV: Cash flow and financial difficulties faced by 3
contractor during construction stage.
High interest rates charged by banks on loans 5
TABLE IV: PROJECT’S OWNER CAUSES
received by contractors.
Factors Frequency
Contractor's work overload 4
Owner’s lack of experience. 2
Mistakes during construction due to inadequate 5
Inadequate project preparation and planning 7
construction method.
(preconstruction study).
Cost of the Reworks. 2
Unrealistic design development periods. 1
Lack of coordination between general contractor 1
Premature tender documents (drawings, bill of 2
and subcontractors
quantities, specifications, contracts and legal
Delay payment to supplier /subcontractor. 1
documents).
Delays in costing variations and additional works. 1
Late start of the planning process, and with too low a 1
Delay in construction, supply of raw materials and 1
budget.
equipment by contractors.
Lack of detail and definition, incomplete, or 1
Delays. 3
incorrect Design brief.
Litigation costs. 2
Poor project management practices. 1
Lack of contractors’ manpower experience, 2
Owner project management costs. 1
knowledge and training.
Long period between design and time of tendering. 2
Low labour productivity. 1
Unrealistic/ Inaccurate duration of contract period. 4
Low labour performance. 1
Deficiencies in cost estimates prepared by public 1
Shortage of available skilled and non-skilled labour. 11
agencies.
Shortage in high-quality management personnel. 1
Too many changes in owners’ requirements or 1
definitions. Lack of attracting skilful technicians for work. 1
Changes in owner’s brief. 1 Poor relationship between management and labour. 4
Frequent design changes. 8 Increase in manpower cost due to environment 8
restriction, insurance premiums and other social
Change in the scope of the project. 7
expenses of the workforce.
Change orders by client. 2
Cost of afterhours work of the workforce. 1
Changes in material specifications and type. 1
Increment of materials prices. 9
Additional works. 4
Difficulties in obtaining construction materials at 1
Shortening of contracts period. 1
official current prices.
Delays in decisions making and work approval. 1
Inadequate material procurement. 1
Delays (decision making, in approval of drawings, 1
Shortages of materials due to unreliable sources of 7
material delivery).
materials on the local market.

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Factor Frequency The procurement delivery causes are shown in Table IX:
Imported materials and plant items. 2
Late delivery/supply of materials and equipment by 5 TABLE IX: PROCUREMENT DELIVERY CAUSES
contractors. Factor Frequency
Materials supplier’s manipulation. 2 Unbalanced distribution of risk between projects’ 2
Market conditions (materials and labour). 1 party.
Increment of equipment’s/ equipment’s 5 Mistakes, ambiguity and discrepancies in contract 3
maintenance prices. document.
Inadequate or inefficient equipment, tools and 5 Nonadherence to contract conditions. 1
plants. Inappropriate contractual procedure. 2
Inappropriate contractor policies: such as: work 4
D. Project’s Designer and Consultants suspensions owing, Long period of the project
The project’s designer and consultant causes are shown in maintenance.
Table VI: F. Country Related
TABLE VI: PROJECT’S DESIGNER AND CONSULTANT CAUSES The country related causes are shown in Table X:
Factor Frequency
Designer lack of experience. 5 TABLE X: COUNTRY RELATED CAUSES
lack of experience of technical consultants. 6 Factor Frequency
Obstacles from government. 1
Lack of design team understanding of cost and 1
value. Change in Government policies. 1
Deficient tender documentation (design, bills of 13 Delays in decisions making by Government, failure 1
quantities and specification). of specific coordinating.
Inaccurate cost and time estimates. 8 Political complexities, insecurity and instability. 1
Difference between selected bid and the 1 Social and cultural impacts. 2
consultants’ estimate.
1) Economic Related
Improvements to standard drawings during 1
construction stage. The economic related causes are shown in Table XI:
Inadequate monitoring and control procedures. 2
Delay Preparation and approval of drawings. 2 TABLE XI: ECONOMIC RELATED CAUSES
Delay in issuing information to the contractor, 5 Factor Frequency
project's inspection and handing over.
High Inflationary pressure. 6
E. External Factors Changes in pricing conditions. 1
Unsettlement of the monetary exchange rate. 4
External factors are divided into the following sub-factors Local economic stability. 1
which are: Effects of global economy. 1
Change of insurance cost. 2
1) System
 Standards, guidance and requirements 2) Weather
The standards, guidance and requirements causes are The weather causes are shown in Table XII:
shown in Table VII: TABLE XII: WEATHER CAUSES
Factor Frequency
Effect of weather conditions. 10
TABLE VII: STANDARDS GUIDANCE AND REQUIREMENTS CAUSES
Factor Frequency 3) Unclassified
Unclear division of responsibilities and lack of clear 1
requirements for professional management. There are some causes which cannot be classified under
Lack of standard requirements from designers and 1 any of the previous classification which are shown in Table
poorly enforced professional liability of designers. XIII:
Disputes among the parties involved in the project 1
(clients, contractors, consultants).
Absence of construction cost, specifications, and 4 TABLE XIII: UNCLASSIFIED CAUSES
productivity standard data. Factor Frequency
Insufficient, unstandardized owner’s brief. 1 High transportation cost due to Fuel shortages 3
Culture of conflicts and lack of trust. 1 Fraudulent practices, kickbacks, corruption. 4
Inappropriate Government Policies. 4
Inadequate mode of financing projects. 5

 Awarding System IV. DISCUSSION

The awarding system causes are shown in Table VIII: In this section the author will discuss the most frequently
identified cost overrun causes.
TABLE VIII: AWARDING SYSTEM CAUSES
Factor Frequency A. Frequent Design Change during Construction Phase
Practice of assigning contract to lowest bidder even 4 Although it is very unlikely that a project can be delivered
if prices are unrealistically low. without any variation during the construction stage [32], a
Bureaucracy and late contract award. 3 long process for processing design change orders negatively
Bidding fee competition with tight conditions. 1
Level and number of competitors. 2
impacts on the duration and cost of a construction project.
General lack of information especially at tender 1 Change in a project’s design could be part of a construction
stage. project nature because of its inherent complexity and
 Procurement Delivery uncertainty. Design change causes delay as its needs to be

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reviewed and approved by clients. However, this factor was It has been cited that lack of experience is one of the critical
found to cause cost overrun in different developing countries causes affecting the construction projects performance by
such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Nigeria as well as developed different authors [34], [35].
countries such as Korea. The factor scored highly among A lack of contractor experience was one of the main causes
other factors of cost overrun in developing countries. For of cost overrun in different developed countries such as
example, in Zambia it scored second highest. Lack of clearly Indonesia and Ghana.
defined project objectives and scope was mainly the cause of
E. Poor Cost Estimation
frequent change orders in construction projects in these
countries. Cost estimating could be defined as the process where an
estimator arrives at an expenditure of resources necessary to
B. Contractors’ Financing complete a project in accordance with plans and
It is usual that contractors face financing issue during the specifications. The preparation of a detailed cost estimate for
construction phase as they normally pay for works and receive a particular construction project requires collecting,
payment after completing part of projects or the whole retrieving, and manipulating large amounts of independent,
projects. Thus, contractors should make sure that they have but related, cost and non-cost data and information in a
sufficient funds available to enable them to undertake projects. time-effective manner. Cost estimation for projects is a
Moreover, they should put all financing processes under characteristically complex exercise. Although estimation
control by adopting an effective project financing method. techniques have improved over the years, they are still
All the above points emphasise that a reliable contractor’s regarded as imperfect. Because of the high uncertainty of
financial status plays a primary role in delivering projects on construction projects, clients along with the contractor
time. Moreover, poor controlling of cost and cash flow during become better informed about the specific technological and
the construction phase would directly increase the cost of material requirements of the project works after a project
implementing a project, or it might lead to project delay that moves from the design phase to the implementation phase. Eg.
leads to financial penalties. In other words, if contractors meet poor ground conditions.
financial difficulties, project progression will be affected. There are several causes for an inaccurate cost estimate,
However, it is not unusual that contractors’ face financial and some of these causes may be similar to other causes of
difficulties during the construction phase. For instance, a cost overrun. One of them is the psychology cause.
delay or inability to cover their direct and indirect costs. Psychologists believe that most people tend to be more
The contractor experiencing financial problems was found optimistic than realistic which is called optimism bias [36],
as a cause of projects’ underachievement in different contexts [37]. In this situation, estimators and contractors make their
and it was ranked in the top five important causes for project decision based on delusional optimism (higher than actual
underachievement in the following location contexts: Nigeria, rewards and lower than actual risks) rather than rational
Ghana, and Vietnam. measuring of profits and losses. Other causes are:
1) The data used to estimate the bid may be unreliable.
C. Payment Delay
2) The absence of national database for prices to rely on.
Slow or delayed payment to contractors for completed 3) Lack of estimators’ experience.
works is a very common complaint of contractors about 4) Honest mistakes.
project’s client. It was identified in five different contexts and
appears to occur more often in government funded projects F. Poor Tendering Documents
because of a typically slow payment procedure (the public Immature tendering documents were identified as causes of
sector around the world is more bureaucratic because the level cost overrun in thirteen out of seventeen studies. Several
of power and decision-making is centralised). factors have caused this issue including: the involvement of
Failure to provide payment on time to contractors for the the designer as a consultant; communication gaps occurring
completed work will make it difficult for the contractors to between the contractor and designer; insufficient details in the
meet (typically due to relatively small cash reserves) project working drawings and a lack of coordination between the
objectives. parties. Also included is a lack of human resources in the
It is worth noting that late payment does not only consume design firm, the designers’ lack of knowledge of available
contractor’s time and money but more importantly it can materials and equipment and the use of incomplete shop
affect the trust relationship between contractors and the owner. drawings and specifications.
Moreover, payment delay by the owner might lead to an
G. Poor Material Management
increase in the cost of projects as contractors increase their
overhead cost to cover that risks [33]. Construction material is one of the most important
elements in the execution of any construction projects. The
D. Lack of Contractors’ Experience importance of material management can be seen clearly from
Construction projects are tending to become more its definition. Patel and Vyas [38] define materials
complicated and therefore place pressure on time (project management as “the system for planning and controlling all of
duration) and expertise. A lack of contractor experience (and the efforts necessary to ensure that the correct quality and
expertise) of the projects’ type and location might lead to a quantity of materials are properly specified in a timely manner,
rework component for the project or delay which increases are obtained at a reasonable cost and most importantly are
the cost of implementing a project. available at the point of use when required”. The

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consequences of poor material management might result in authorities are involved. To help contractors’ financially and
late delivery of materials or risk of purchasing at higher prices, reduce the effect of payment delay for the completed projects,
thus resulting in delay and cost overrun. With an increase in government should be involved to help contractors find a
the number of construction projects in a single location, the middle way with banks and other surety groups [33].
local market cannot meet the high level of demand for
building materials. Thus, a project’s contractor might face a ACKNOWLEDGMENT
shortage of construction materials on the market or an Authors would like to thank Albaha university and Robert
increase of the material prices, which results in cost overrun. Gordon University for all the financial and academic support.
For large and complex construction projects where special
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[24] A. Enshassi, J. Al-Najjar, and M. Kumaraswamy, “Delays and cost Dominic D. Ahiaga-Dagbui is a lecturer in
overruns in the construction projects in the Gaza Strip,” Journal of construction and project management at the Scott
Financial Management of Property and Construction, vol. 14, no. 2, Sutherland School of Architecture and Built
pp. 126-151, 2009. Environment, Robert Gordon University, UK. He
[25] S. Jackson, “Project cost overruns and risk management,” in Proc. gained his PhD from the University of Edinburgh,
Association of Researchers in Construction Management 18th Annual UK in 2014 and a Masters in Civil Engineering and
ARCOM Conference, Newcastle, Northumber University, UK, 2002. Construction Management from Heriot-Watt
[26] P. F. Kaming et al., “Factors influencing construction time and cost University, UK in 2010.
overruns on high-rise projects in Indonesia,” Construction He is keenly interested in practical and
Management & Economics, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 83-94, 1997. transformational research that is of direct benefit to the construction as well
[27] H. Alinaitwe, R. Apolot, and D. Tindiwensi, “Investigation into the as the oil and gas industry. His current research interests include project cost
causes of delays and cost overruns in Uganda's public sector management, client capabilities, infrastructure procurement, construction
construction projects,” Journal of Construction in Developing engineering & management and offshore decommissioning.
Countries, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 33, 2013.
[28] L. Baloyi and M. Bekker, “Causes of construction cost and time
overruns: The 2010 FIFA World Cup stadia in South Africa,” Acta
Structilia, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 51-67, 2011.
[29] N. R. Mansfield, O. Ugwu, and T. Doran, “Causes of delay and cost
overruns in Nigerian construction projects,” International Journal of David Moore completed a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in
Project Management, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 254-260, 1994. construction management (first class) at Nottingham
[30] Y. Frimpong, J. Oluwoye, and L. Crawford, “Causes of delay and cost Trent Polytechnic, England in 1990. This was followed
overruns in construction of groundwater projects in a developing by a Ph.D. from De Montfort University, Leicester, in
countries; Ghana as a case study,” International Journal of Project 1997, with the focus of the research being task difficulty
Management, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 321-326, 2003. assessment (buildability).
[31] C. Kaliba, M. Muya, and K. Mumba, “Cost escalation and schedule He is a researcher and Reader in project management
delays in road construction projects in Zambia,” International Journal who gained construction industry experience prior to
of Project Management, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 522-531, 2009. commencing full time degree study. In 1991 he moved
[32] J. Alsuliman, G. Bowles, and Z. Chen, “Current practice of variation into the education sector, where he commenced study at
order management in the saudi construction industry,” in Proc. 28th PhD level of the assessment of task difficulty within pre-construction design
Annual ARCOM Conference, S. D. Smith, Ed., 2012, Association of details. He has achieved over 80 research outputs published in journals and
Researchers in Construction Management: Edinburgh, UK. conference proceedings, along with 7 books/book chapters, with one book
[33] S. A. Assaf et al., “The management of construction company also translated into Chinese. He has recently co-authored a book dealing with
overhead costs,” International Journal of Project Management, vol. the management of major infrastructure projects. His published work reflects
19, no. 5, pp. 295-303, 2001. his research interests, including sustainable development (in terms of
[34] R. H. Clough and G. A. Sears, Construction Contracting, New York: encouraging design acceptance of indigenous materials and methods), use of
Wiley, 1994. solar technologies for material production and wealth generation, low carbon
[35] F. M. Arain, L. S. Pheng, and S. A. Assaf, “Contractors’ views of the construction skills generally, factors in the visual perception of information
potential causes of inconsistencies between design and construction in embedded in complex charts, culture and conflict in design and build teams,
Saudi Arabia,” Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, vol. and project management competences and performance level. His research
20, no. 1, pp. 74-83, 2006. activity has also underpinned the business interaction work that he has been
[36] D. Kahneman and A. Tversky, Prospect Theory: An Analysis of involved with, and this has included organisations such as Rolls-Royce,
Decision under Risk, Econometrica, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 263-291, 1979. Sonatrach (Algeria), and Aberdeenshire council through the development
[37] D. Lovallo and D. Kahneman, “Delusions of success,” Harvard and provision of bespoke project management training and study material.
Business Review, vol. 81, no. 7, pp. 56-63, 2003. Dr. Moore is a Reader in project management at Robert Gordon
[38] K. V. Patel and C. M. Vyas, “Construction material management on University, Aberdeen. Dr Moore has been involved in funded research
project sites,” in Proc. National Conference on Recent Trends in examining the behaviours of superior-performing project managers, which
Engineering & Technology, 2011, B.V.M. Engineering College, was rated as tending to international significance by EPSRC. Dr. Moore is a
Gujarat, India. member of the Chartered Institute of Building.
[39] E. W. Merrow, Industrial Megaprojects: Concepts, Strategies, and
Practices for Success, John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
[40] N. R. Roxas and S. Chalermpong, “Forecasting inaccuracies in
transportation projects in selected South East Asian countries,” in Proc.
16th Annual Conference of the Transportation Science Society of the
Philippines, Philippines, 2008.
[41] Y. C. Yong and N. E. Mustaffa, “Clients, consultants and contractors'
perception of critical success factors for construction projects in
Malaysia,” in Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the Association of
Researchers in Construction Management, 2011, Bristol, United
kingdom: ARCOM.

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