This study examines the causes of time delays and cost overruns in a selection of thirty post-disaster reconstruction projects in Iraq. Although delay factors have been studied in many countries and contexts, little data exists from countries under the conditions characterizing Iraq during the last 10-15 years. A case study approach was used, with thirty construction projects of different types and sizes selected from the Baghdad region. Project data was gathered from a survey which was used to build statistical relationships between time and cost delay ratios and delay factors in post disaster projects. The most important delay factors identified were contractor failure, redesigning of designs/plans and change orders, security issues, selection of low-price bids, weather factors, and owner failures. Some of these are in line with findings from similar studies in other countries and regions, but some are unique to the Iraqi project sample, such as security issues and low-price bid selection. While many studies have examined factors causing delays and cost overruns, this study offers unique insights into factors that need to be considered when implementing projects for post disaster emergency reconstruction in areas impacted by wars and terrorism.
Construction projects are complicated in nature and require many considerations in contractor selection. One of the complicated interactions is that between performance with the project size, and contractor financial status, and size of projects contracted. At the prequalification stage, the financial requirements restrict the contractors to meet minimum limits in financial criteria such as net worth, working capital and annual turnover, etc. In construction projects, however, there are cases when contractors meet these requirements but show low performance in practice. The model used in the study predicts the performance by training of a neural network. The data used in the study are 72 of the most recent roadw
... Show MoreExtreme conditions will cause the water level of high fill canal segment to change suddenly, which will affect the velocity and pore pressure of the slope. A 9 km irrigation earth canal in the city of Alsyahy, 15 km away from Al-Hilla city, and branching off from the left side of Shatt Al-Hilla at 57 km, was studied. The aim of this work is to study and analyze the effect of rationing system on the Birmana earthen canal during rapid drawdown case. Finite element modeling with Geo-Studio software was used in the present study to analyze the combined seepage and slope stability for three cycles. The resulting minimum safety factor obtained from the analysis using the saturated and
This study is an approach to assign the land area of Kirkuk city [ a city located in the northern of Iraq, 236 kilometers north of Baghdad and 83 kilometers south of Erbil [ Climatic atlas of Iraq, 1941-1970 ] into different multi zones by using Satellite image and Arc Map10.3, zones of different traffic noise pollutions. Land zonings process like what achieved in this paper will help and of it’s of a high interest point for the future of Kirkuk city especially urban
... Show MoreElectricity consumption for household purposes in urban areas widely affects the general urban consumption compared to other commercial and industrial uses, as household electricity consumption is affected by many factors related to the physical aspects of the residential area such as temperature, housing unit area, and coverage ratio, as well as social and economic factors such as family size and income, to reach the extent of the influence of each of the above factors on the amount of electricity consumed for residential uses, a selected sample of a residential area in the city of Baghdad was studied and a field survey conducted of the characteristics of that sample and the results analyzed and modeled statistically in relation to the amo
... Show MoreThis study aims to answer a significant problem of social sciences and philosophy: How do we construct an institutional reality such as diplomacy with an objective recognizable existence? The study assumes that the ability to build institutional reality is based on our biological capacity, as it takes different forms in all the institutions we construct. The study takes the theory of the American philosopher John Searle as an approach to examining the assumption. The study sums up important findings; cultures, although they share the biological capacity on which they produce institutional realities, differ in the form of the value standards on which the institutional realities are based. The study recommends the need of Arab social resea
... Show MoreEffective decision-making process is the basis for successfully solving any engineering problem. Many decisions taken in the construction projects differ in their nature due to the complex nature of the construction projects. One of the most crucial decisions that might result in numerous issues over the course of a construction project is the selection of the contractor. This study aims to use the ordinal priority approach (OPA) for the contractor selection process in the construction industry. The proposed model involves two computer programs; the first of these will be used to evaluate the decision-makers/experts in the construction projects, while the second will be used to formul
The construction industry in Iraq suffers from many problems, perhaps the most important of which is the delay in time and the increase in costs. Therefore, it was necessary to try to adopt a new methodology that would help in overcoming these problems. It was suggested to combine building information modeling with the agile management approach because this technique and methodology is modern and helps in reducing time and cost and improving quality. This paper aims to know the status of using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Agile Project management (APM) in Iraq and to shed light on the merging of this integration, explaining the benefits, difficulties, and workflow practices, finding the most influencing factors on the tim
... Show MoreEach project management system aims to complete the project within its identified objectives: budget, time, and quality. It is achieving the project within the defined deadline that required careful scheduling, that be attained early. Due to the nature of unique repetitive construction projects, time contingency and project uncertainty are necessary for accurate scheduling. It should be integrated and flexible to accommodate the changes without adversely affecting the construction project’s total completion time. Repetitive planning and scheduling methods are more effective and essential. However, they need continuous development because of the evolution of execution methods, essent
ABSTRACT:. The Lower Cretaceous Zubair formation is comprised of sandstones intercalated with shale sequences. The main challenges that were encountered while drilling into this formation included severe wellbore instability-related issues across the weaker formations overlaying the reservoir section (pay zone). These issues have a significant impact on well costs and timeline. In this paper, a comprehensive geomechanical study was carried out to understand the causes of the wellbore failure and to improve drilling design and drilling performance on further development wells in the field. Failure criteria known as Mogi-Coulomb was used to determine an operating mud weight window required for safe drilling. The accuracy of the geomechanical
... Show MoreThis research deals with the nature of the Turkish attitude towards the events of the Arab Spring which the Arab region witnessed recently, as this attitude is characterized by hesitation and utter confusion about those events at its beginning. However, the development of events and the consequent repercussions led the Turkish decision makers of the foreign policy to reconsider their attitude towards those events for political, economic, cultural and social motives.