AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EXTENT OF USE OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
ABSTRACT
Construction projects are increasingly becoming complex, resulting in complex contract documents. Complex construction can likewise result in complex disputes. Disputes are inevitable in construction projects which predominantly arise from complexity and magnitude of works, multiple prime contracting parties, poorly prepared and/ or executed contract documents, inadequate planning, financial issues and communication problems. Depending on the nature of the relationship between the parties involved in the disputes and the circumstances under which the dispute is evolved, different methods of dispute resolution techniques may be preferable. The objective of this study is to identify the cause of dispute, to identify the existing practice of dispute resolution techniques in construction projects, to evaluate the prevailing dispute handling methods and recommend the most appropriate method. The method adopted for the study was through questionnaire survey where the target respondents were clients, consultants and contractors. Based on the analysed data, there are disputes caused by the clients, consultants and contractors which are capable of resulting to loss of reputation and sour relationship between the stakeholders and also loss of profit and business viability. Negotiation was observed as the most appropriate method of dispute resolution in construction projects in Nigeria as it non time consuming, cost effective and restores business relationship. From the findings it can be concluded that construction disputes are a cause of concern in every project and the solution to this problem is to avoid and cautiously manage them for smooth running of construction process.
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