Abstract
Various civil engineering projects involve building roads, water systems, and sewers. Scope
and cost management are crucial for successfully executing construction projects and achieving
stakeholders' satisfaction. This research provides a comprehensive assessment of the opinions
of clients, consultants and contractors on the implementation of scope and cost management
during the construction stage of South African public sector projects. The study used a
combination of simple and snowball sampling techniques, and established a set of initial
participants from government agencies, civil engineering consulting, and contractors to gather
a sample for the study.
According to the findings of this study, building, road, and water projects were all mentioned
equally by participants (25%) when filling out the questionnaire. Half of the participants stated
that their role was that of a project consultant. Participants acting as clients accounted for 34%
of the responses, while contractors accounted for 15%. In 88% of the projects, the client was
involved in determining the scope. The consultants also helped define the scope of 63% of the
projects, while 8% had a contractor who helped define the scope. A client was involved in the
management of the scope of 45% of the projects, and a consultant was involved in managing
the scope of 81% of the projects. In 26% of the projects, the contractor was involved in project
scope management. During construction, 63% of projects measured scope management
performance, while 73% established a scope baseline. Among the projects, 29% had change
management plans, and 44% had scope change management plans. Approximately 44% said
their projects were completed within the original project scope, while 56% said they were not.
To determine the costs for a construction project, 65% of projects required planning, and 83%
estimated construction costs. The costs of 67% of the projects were determined through
budgeting. At completion, approximately 62% of the projects were completed over the initial
cost of the project, and 38% were completed within the initial project budget.
Civil engineering project implementation entails complex scope and cost management from
multiple perspectives. Clients are heavily relied on to determine the scope of the construction
phase. Consultants are typically involved in scope determination but are also critical for
successfully managing the scope of a construction project. The construction costs are
determined through planning, estimating, and budgeting. While there are numerous methods
for managing construction costs, this study concluded that revising cost estimates and updating
budgets were the most effective. Finally, projects not completed within the initial scope went
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over the initial cost after completion. Furthermore, more than half of the projects completed
within the initial scope did not cost more than the initial cost.
Keywords: Civil Engineering; Project Stakeholders; Project Scope Management; Project Cost
Management.