Evaluation of the Infrastructure Project Management System of Government Organizations and Suggestions for Their Improvement

The success of infrastructure projects of government organizations depends primarily on government policies, which include the rules, regulations, manuals, standard contract documents, systems, and practices that govern mutual relations between the government and private contractors to a large extent. This study aimed to critically examine this part of the project management system of government organizations and to suggest measures for its improvement. The systems of three government organizations were studied in detail by examining their documents and interviewing their senior officers. Their salient features were compared and best practices grouped to frame propositions and determine the opinion of experts regarding their implementation. Consensus on the suggested propositions was measured using a questionnaire survey and a Delphi analysis, and out of 11 propositions, consensus was found on nine; therefore, these nine propositions were suggested for adoption by the three organizations to bring about system improvements. Said improvements were expected to be the authentication of the tender process, a less time-consuming and dispute-free process, enhancement of the financial liquidity of the contractor through assurance of timely payments, compensation for losses due to idling of labor and machinery, adoption of strict measures in the contract through the introduction of a debarment clause for failure to perform, and deemed termination of the contract in case of abnormal delays in preconstruction activity. The most crucial recommendation that emerged in the study was the introduction of a focus-on-delivery clause in the work manual, which would enhance bona fide decisions in favor of work while addressing various issues faced during work execution. Practical ApplicationsThe paper aims to critically examine the infrastructure project management system of government organizations and suggests measures for improvement. This includes rules, regulations, manuals, standard contract documents, systems, and practices, which form an important base for an amicable relation between the contractor and the client (government departments) resulting in favorable conditions for successful completion of the projects. For this purpose, systems of three government organizations were studied in detail and their salient features were compared to formulate important propositions. Delphi analysis with two rounds of questionnaire survey was conducted to measure the consensus of the experts with the propositions. Finally, consensus was achieved on nine propositions suggested for improvement. These improvements are expected to authenticate the tendering process, make it less time-consuming, make it dispute-free, and increase the financial liquidity of the contractor. Further, adoption of strict measures in the contract and introduction of the focus-on-delivery clause in the work manual will enhance bona fide decisions in favor of work while addressing various issues faced during the execution of work. All these improvements are directly related to the actual works being performed by the organizations and thus they would prove to be of high practical relevance.