Construction Project Delay Factors of Public Universities in Ethiopia: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Aims: This study aimed to identify causes of construction projects delay in Public Universities in Ethiopia.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional survey using quantitative method.

Place and Duration of Study: Jigjiga, Haromaya, Dire Dewa and Kibrdhar universties between April and September 2022.

Methodology: This study identified project delay factors and modelled the Partial Least Square Structural Equation (PLS-SEM) model. a structured questionnaire used to collect data from contractors, consultants and clients. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS4 software.

Results: The findings show that Clients, Contractors, Consultants, Materials, and Labor related factors significantly affect delayed projects. Labour-related factors had the greatest impact on construction delay, while the external factor had an insignificant effect on project delay. The overall model had 73.1% explanatory power. These findings might support practitioners and decision-makers to focus on potential construction delay factors that might occur in their current or future projects.