Owner Involvement in Construction Projects in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In the construction industry, the owner's objective is to obtain a high‐quality facility through quality planning, quality design, and quality construction. There are three mutually exclusive common goals for owners of projects. These are: high quality, low cost, and rapid construction. It is the owner's responsibility to clarify and communicate these goals and set their priorities for project completion. In Saudi Arabia, the government is the major source of construction expenditure, accounting for approximately 67% of the nation's construction industry volume. The owner's involvement during the three phases of a project—planning, design, and construction—was studied in public projects in Saudi Arabia. It was revealed that the owners are involved more in the construction phase than the planning or design phases. The tasks in each phase have been identified and ranked accordingly. The quality of a constructed project can be improved by optimizing the level of owner involvement in those tasks that directly correlate to project quality.