| Peer-Reviewed

Effect of Contractor – Subcontractor Relationship on the Performance of Construction Project: A Case Study of Dire Dawa Construction Projects

Received: 21 February 2022    Accepted: 1 April 2022    Published: 9 April 2022
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Because of the common practice of subletting construction work into smaller packages, subcontracting has become an attractive technique in the construction business. Effective subcontractor selection and monitoring reduce the problem while also determining the performance of construction firms. The engagement of a subcontractor in a building construction project results in relationships with the main contractor, which will influence the project's success. The purpose of this study was to look at how main contractors choose subcontractors and to analyze the effect of the main contractor–subcontractor relationship on project performance. This research used a descriptive survey method to look at the underlying characteristics that influence the relationship between the main contractor and subcontractors and their effect on the performance of construction projects. The findings of the study confirmed that most contractor depends on subcontractors for the execution of their work and therefore procurement and management of subcontractors highly affects the performance of the construction project. It was also discovered that the subcontractor often performs 20 percent to 50 percent of the work. Main contractors used subcontractors primarily to offer skilled labor, lower overhead expenses, and relieve work and financial burden on themselves. The major causes of issues between the main contractor and the subcontractor include the main contractor's delay in releasing payments, the subcontractor's shortage of trained personnel, and scheduling conflicts among the subcontractors on a given project. To eliminate antagonistic relationships, the study advises a trust-based cooperative partnership that incorporates subcontractors into a partnering strategy. Furthermore, for optimal construction project performance, simpler and complete subcontract documents would improve the interaction between the main contractor and the subcontractor.

Published in American Journal of Civil Engineering (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11
Page(s) 31-42
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Construction Projects, Main Contractors, Sub-contractors, Relationship, Dire Dawa

References
[1] Abdullahi, A. H. (2014). Review of Subcontracting Practice in the Construction Industry. Journal of Environmental Sciences and Resource Management, pp. 85-96.
[2] Abebe D. G. (2020). Assessment on Impact of Covid-19 on Ethiopian Construction Industry. International Journal of Engineering Science and Computing, Volume 10 Issue No. 7, pp. 26889- 26894.
[3] Ankrah, N A and Proverbs, D (2005) A framework for measuring construction project performance: overcoming key challenges of performance measurement. In: Khosrowshahi, F (Ed.), 21st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2005, SOAS, University of London. Association of Researchers in Construction Management, Vol. 2, 959-69.
[4] Arain, T. E. (2012). Major causes of problems between contractors and subcontractors in the Gaza Strip. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 98-112.
[5] Cartlidge, (2017), Quantity surveyors’ pocketbook, (3rd ed.), Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New York.
[6] Creswell J, (2009). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed methods approach. (3rd ed.). California, USA: Sage Publications.
[7] Egwunatum, S. (2017). A review of construction project performance estimators. MOJ Civil Eng.; 3 (4): 326‒328.
[8] The Emperor of Ethiopia the Civil Code of Ethiopia, (1960).
[9] FIDIC Condition of Contract for Construction, (1999).
[10] Henok, A. H. (2018). Determination of Subcontracting Performance in Road Construction Projects: Case of Addis Ababa Road Projects. Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER), 1-17.
[11] Kasahun H, (2019). Study on The Relationship Between Main Contractors and Sub Contractors in Public Building Construction Projects in Bahir Dar. MSC thesis in Construction Technology and Management, Business Administration, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology.
[12] Kish, L. (1965). Factor analysis of interface problems among construction parties. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, pp. 60-71.
[13] Kothari C., (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques (2nd ed.). New Delhi, India: New Age International.
[14] Kumar R. (2011). Research Methodology- A step by step guide for beginners (3rd ed), Sage Publications Ltd, London.
[15] Lew Yoke-Lian, S. Hassim, R. Muniandy, and Law Teik-Hua, (2012), Review of Subcontracting Practice in Construction Industry, IACSIT International Journal of Engineering and Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, August 2012.
[16] Mirawati N. A., Othman S. N., and Risyawati M. I. (2015). Supplier-Contractor Partnering Impact on Construction Performance: A Study on Malaysian Construction Industry, Journal of Economics, Business and Management, Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2015.
[17] Mundie (2012), A study on the impact of contractor – subcontractor relationship on the performance of the construction project: A Case study on the Kenyan construction Industry.
[18] Mudzvokorwa (2017), Improving the main contractor-subcontractor relationship through partnering on construction projects, PM World Journal, Vol. VI, Issue II.
[19] Ojo Stephen Okunlola. (2015). The Effect of Contractor-Subcontractor Relationship on Construction Duration in Nigeria. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Construction Science, Vol. 2, No. 3, 16-23.
[20] Public procurement agency (PPA) (2006), Standard bid document for procurement of works, Addis Ababa.
[21] Rosli, N. M., Mustaffa, N. E., & Tajul Ariffin, H. L. (2018). A Review of Domestic Subcontract in Construction Industry. Regional Conference on Science, Technology and Social Sciences (RCSTSS 2016), 499–506.
[22] Smith, AJ (2017), Estimating, tendering and bidding for construction: Theory and practice, Basingstoke, London: Macmillan Press Ltd.
[23] Shimelis, G. O. (2018). Timely delivery and control mechanisms of 40/60 saving houses projects in Addis Ababa. MSC thesis in Business Administration, Addis Ababa Science, and Technology University.
[24] Tayeh, A. (2019). The Relationship between Contractors and Their Subcontractors in the Gaza Strip. MSC Thesis, University of Gaza.
[25] Yemisirach, S (2020, December). Study on Contractual Relationship between Main Contractors and Subcontractors and Their Impacts on Main Contractors Competitiveness in 20/80 Bole Arabsa Condominiums. Ababa. MSC thesis in Construction Technology and Management, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Elias Defalgn Debelo, Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel. (2022). Effect of Contractor – Subcontractor Relationship on the Performance of Construction Project: A Case Study of Dire Dawa Construction Projects. American Journal of Civil Engineering, 10(2), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Elias Defalgn Debelo; Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel. Effect of Contractor – Subcontractor Relationship on the Performance of Construction Project: A Case Study of Dire Dawa Construction Projects. Am. J. Civ. Eng. 2022, 10(2), 31-42. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Elias Defalgn Debelo, Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel. Effect of Contractor – Subcontractor Relationship on the Performance of Construction Project: A Case Study of Dire Dawa Construction Projects. Am J Civ Eng. 2022;10(2):31-42. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11,
      author = {Elias Defalgn Debelo and Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel},
      title = {Effect of Contractor – Subcontractor Relationship on the Performance of Construction Project: A Case Study of Dire Dawa Construction Projects},
      journal = {American Journal of Civil Engineering},
      volume = {10},
      number = {2},
      pages = {31-42},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajce.20221002.11},
      abstract = {Because of the common practice of subletting construction work into smaller packages, subcontracting has become an attractive technique in the construction business. Effective subcontractor selection and monitoring reduce the problem while also determining the performance of construction firms. The engagement of a subcontractor in a building construction project results in relationships with the main contractor, which will influence the project's success. The purpose of this study was to look at how main contractors choose subcontractors and to analyze the effect of the main contractor–subcontractor relationship on project performance. This research used a descriptive survey method to look at the underlying characteristics that influence the relationship between the main contractor and subcontractors and their effect on the performance of construction projects. The findings of the study confirmed that most contractor depends on subcontractors for the execution of their work and therefore procurement and management of subcontractors highly affects the performance of the construction project. It was also discovered that the subcontractor often performs 20 percent to 50 percent of the work. Main contractors used subcontractors primarily to offer skilled labor, lower overhead expenses, and relieve work and financial burden on themselves. The major causes of issues between the main contractor and the subcontractor include the main contractor's delay in releasing payments, the subcontractor's shortage of trained personnel, and scheduling conflicts among the subcontractors on a given project. To eliminate antagonistic relationships, the study advises a trust-based cooperative partnership that incorporates subcontractors into a partnering strategy. Furthermore, for optimal construction project performance, simpler and complete subcontract documents would improve the interaction between the main contractor and the subcontractor.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Effect of Contractor – Subcontractor Relationship on the Performance of Construction Project: A Case Study of Dire Dawa Construction Projects
    AU  - Elias Defalgn Debelo
    AU  - Zerihun Berhane Weldegebriel
    Y1  - 2022/04/09
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11
    T2  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    JF  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    JO  - American Journal of Civil Engineering
    SP  - 31
    EP  - 42
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8737
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajce.20221002.11
    AB  - Because of the common practice of subletting construction work into smaller packages, subcontracting has become an attractive technique in the construction business. Effective subcontractor selection and monitoring reduce the problem while also determining the performance of construction firms. The engagement of a subcontractor in a building construction project results in relationships with the main contractor, which will influence the project's success. The purpose of this study was to look at how main contractors choose subcontractors and to analyze the effect of the main contractor–subcontractor relationship on project performance. This research used a descriptive survey method to look at the underlying characteristics that influence the relationship between the main contractor and subcontractors and their effect on the performance of construction projects. The findings of the study confirmed that most contractor depends on subcontractors for the execution of their work and therefore procurement and management of subcontractors highly affects the performance of the construction project. It was also discovered that the subcontractor often performs 20 percent to 50 percent of the work. Main contractors used subcontractors primarily to offer skilled labor, lower overhead expenses, and relieve work and financial burden on themselves. The major causes of issues between the main contractor and the subcontractor include the main contractor's delay in releasing payments, the subcontractor's shortage of trained personnel, and scheduling conflicts among the subcontractors on a given project. To eliminate antagonistic relationships, the study advises a trust-based cooperative partnership that incorporates subcontractors into a partnering strategy. Furthermore, for optimal construction project performance, simpler and complete subcontract documents would improve the interaction between the main contractor and the subcontractor.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Project Management, PBT Africa College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Center for African and Asian Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Sections