Impact of change orders on cost and schedule in building projects within bahrain’s construction industry

Abstract

Change orders are a persistent challenge in Bahrain's construction industry, causing cost overruns and schedule delays. This study investigates their causes, impacts, and management practices within Bahrain's building projects to address the lack of local empirical evidence. Adopting a positivist and quantitative approach, data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to clients, consultants, contractors and public-sector professionals, yielding 98 valid responses. Statistical analysis using SPSS, including descriptive analysis and ANOVA, revealed that client and consultant-related issues, particularly scope changes, design errors and delayed approvals were the main causes. Cost overruns frequently exceeded 10%, while schedule delays typically ranged from 3 to 6 months. Current practices focus on procedural documentation rather than proactive prevention. The study concludes that clearer scope definition, pre-tender design completion, structured impact assessments and establishment of a project-level Change Control Board supported by wider use of BIM and estimating software are essential to reduce disruption.