FACTOR AFFECTING VARIATION ORDERS IN GOVERNMENTAL PROJECTS IN JORDAN

Variation orders are a common phenomenon in the construction industry on any project in Jordan. The traditional construction process in which there is a significant time lag between planning, design and implementation greatly increases the likelihood of changes and Variation orders in the project. There are many reasons that lead to changes in construction projects, and often these changes lead to an increase in project costs, time delays and administrative problems. This study aims to provide a good understanding of the main causes of change orders and their negative effects on the cost and time of the project, arranging these reasons according to the most important, and developing some proposals to mitigate their negative effects on the project. Where a sample of experts and other related people in government projects was studied and the most important changes that occurred in them that led to the issuance of change orders were studied The study shows that the most important reasons for issuing change orders in projects are generally produced by the owner as a result of poor design, many obstacles, or Errors in estimating quantities or the change in scope which requested by the owner. This study provides a general concept of changes and change orders in construction projects and the extent of their negative effects on the cost and time of projects. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the critical factors impacting variation orders in Governmental Construction Projects. Research approach: A survey questionnaires were sent out to experienced managers and engineers of construction projects (ministry of public works and housing, Designers, contractors, consultants and Arbitrators). Findings: It was observed that, there are multi-factor affecting variation orders of the above Projects; the main factor from questioner survey was Weakness of the design for the project according to the mean value ranking method.