Causes of claims in road construction projects in the UAE

Claims are inevitable in construction projects and road construction projects in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are no exception. A claim is a request for time and/or monetary compensation for damages incurred by any party to the contract. The number and frequency of claims have increased over recent years due to the increase in the size and complexity of these projects. These claims result in cost overruns, schedule delays and adversarial relationships amongst the contracting parties. The objective of this paper is to identify and assess the most frequent causes of claims in road construction projects in the UAE in addition to the root causes that contribute to the occurrence of claims. Sixteen causes were identified through a literature review. A survey was then developed and distributed to construction professionals experienced in claims in road construction projects. Fifty-one surveys were completed. The reasons and their root causes were ranked based on the weighted average of the responses. Variation was identified as the most frequent cause of claims, followed by contractor's delay and inadequate site investigation before bidding. The results show that consultants and clients have strong agreement on the ranking of the claims and weak agreement with the contractors.