A study of the roles of public works departments of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the delivery of construction projects in selected regions in Ghana
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Date
NOVEMBER, 2016.
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Abstract
There is growing concern over the successful implementation of projects, that is, the smooth
execution that meets specified requirements at optimal cost and delivered within time.
Among the many institutions and organizations involved in construction projects, the subject
is of the most importance to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA‟s)
because they are basically the unit responsible for managing public funds on development at
the grassroots. The aim of this stud y was to appraise the roles of Public Works Departments
(PWD) which is the department s under the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
(MMDA‟s) responsible for infrastructural projects delivery. The challenges faced by the
PWD‟s in the performance of their roles were assessed as well as strategies to improve the
status quo. The study sought the opinion of professionals who work with the MMDA through
a questionnaire survey using purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. Out of the
ninety (90) targeted professionals for the study, sixty-two (62) responded to the questionnaire
representing a high response rate of 69%. Data generated from the survey were further
analysed using percentages, frequencies, mean and Relative Importance Index (RII). The key
findings were that, respondents perceived the overall development of jurisdictional areas of
PWD‟s, post construction monitoring and support services, provision of other works and
services as community health /environmental protection, promotion and provision of support
for productive activities were the PWD‟s principal roles. In addition, it was revealed that,
weather and other environmental challenges was the major reason for most delays on
construction projects among others such as poor site management and unrealistic timelines
for project delivery. Subsequently, strategies such as ensuring qualificatio n of contractors‟
key personnel, effective communication management, better incentives and remuneration to
attract and retain experienced personnel, provision of logistical support for supervision on
projects were also identified. A key recommendation was for policy formulators and planners
of PWD to ensure execution of infrastructural projects within periods where inclement
weather is unlikely so as to avoid slip-ups, possible design variations and other undesirable effects
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Department of Building Technology, College of Art and Built Environment in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science,