The Positive and Negative Implications of Design Variation on Construction Projects Delivery in Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria

The study investigated on the implications of design variation on the construction projects delivery in Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. The study focuses on the positive and negative impacts of design variations on project delivery and the strategies to minimizing occurrence of design variations on construction projects. It was an exploratory research employing questionnaire survey administered to the construction project stakeholders in the study area. A total of 345 copies of questionnaire were administered and 195 was retrieved and used for the analysis. Data collected were analyzed with mean score, relative important index and standard deviation. The study revealed that the most significant positive implications of design variation are cost reduction,time reduction and client’s satisfaction. The study further revealed that the most important negative implications of variations are cost overrun, time overrun and meeting quality standard. The mitigation measure are availability of detail soil investigation and complete drawings prior the bidding, Use up-to-date technology utilization and improving contract award procedure by giving less weight to prices and more weight to the capabilities and past performance of contractors. The study concluded that design variations can only be entertain or accepted if it is not detriment to the clients and have positive impacts on the construction projects output. The study recommended that the provision of clause for variation order in construction is overdue and needs to be reviewed