CAUSE, IMPACTS and MITIGATING MEASURES of INCOMPLETE AND/OR DEFECTIVE DESIGN DELIVERY onTHE CONSTRUCTION PHASE: THE CASE of FEDERAL ROAD CONSTRUCTIONS in ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Road infrastructure development is among the key focus areas of the government of Ethiopia to boost the overall economy of the country. The responsibility to realize this mission by planning, construction, and asset management of the federal road network was given to the Ethiopian Roads Administration. Although the administration has recorded significant experience in the road sector development and has contributed hugely to the country’s economy, however, its delivery is accused of non-optimality. The drawbacks are seen in almost all phases of the construction processes for which, the planning and design stages are where the problems are instigated from the outset. Taking the design aspect of the road construction process as the main focus area therefore, the objective of this research work is to assess causes of the design defects and its impacts on the construction phases of road projects in Ethiopia federal road network. The study also identified the observed design defects and presented the possible mitigation measures that can abate the impacts of these design defects. The study adopted case study research methodology whereby the Ethiopian Roads Administration has been taken as the case for the study with multiple projects of ERA selected to be used as units of analysis. Document review was the main data collection method employed for the study and to bolster the findings of the document review, interview with purposively selected relevant department staffs of ERA and the sector professionals have been conducted. Using content analysis technique, the study explored and evaluated ERA’s design delivery processes and its management. It also explored and analysed the causes for defective design deliveries of ERA’s design management practices. The study found out that the observed design defects in the Ethiopian federal road network are inaccurate and incomplete delivery of the design products, lacking consistency, missing fundamental part of requirements and stakeholders’ needs. Miscalculation and erroneous quantification of work items, provisions of conflicting information and non-applicable details in the various documents are also among the observed defects, which significantly are affecting the timely and within budget completion of the projects. The poor design delivery has also impacted the construction projects instigating environmental, social and safety hazards, which ultimately affecting the smooth completion, proper service of the road and becoming source of public compliant. The causes of the observed design defects are attributed to failure to use comprehensive design input (data/information, knowledge and technology) and adoption of poor design management practice (limited and/or changing requirement, lack of strong quality control and quality assurance system, lack of adoption of prevailing engineering knowledge/practice and lesson learnt from previous projects.) To mitigate the current poor design service delivery, the study therefore, recommends improving the input side of the design service, adopting advanced technology for execution of the task and product testing, and introducing the practice of experts’ review of the design before implementation. To abate the contractual impacts, the study also recommends adopting alternative delivery systems (DB, DBOT, Partnering, alliance contracting etc.). It is also critically important to improve the knowledge management of the design management process and apply the lesson learnt from the previous delivery of design tasks.