Postaward Construction and Contract Management of Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Hydropower Projects: Two Case Studies from Uganda

The current economic and infrastructural growth in developing countries has triggered the use of multiple forms of alternative contracting methods (ACMs)—including engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC)—in various public sector projects. However, the relative lack of in-depth experience in using EPC contracting methods among public agencies has presented numerous problems. To this end, the goal of this research is to identify the broad postaward construction and contract management (PA-CCM) challenges associated with EPC projects in developing countries using two major infrastructure hydropower projects in Uganda as case studies. A systematic literature review was first conducted to establish a preliminary list of challenges. Afterward, case study data were collected by examining project documentation, conducting site visits, and holding semistructured interviews. The results of this study offered a total of 73 PA-CCM challenges that were categorized into seven different themes. Also, 14 critical lessons learned were identified to better enable stakeholders to mitigate potential problems and promote improved performance for their EPC projects. The outcomes of this paper serve as a pivotal foundation for construction practitioners and future scholars to develop effective mitigation strategies for the challenges associated with EPC contracting methods in developing countries.Practical ApplicationsThis paper established a comprehensive list of postaward construction and contract management challenges related to engineering, procurement, and construction projects in developing countries. The presented challenges are extracted based on two project case studies and cross-validated with the current literature. Ultimately, lessons learned for industry practitioners to mitigate the key postaward construction and contract management challenges are devised. The outcomes of this paper provide a solid basis for industry practitioners to identify the various postaward construction and contract management challenges in engineering, procurement, and construction projects and subsequently promote effective implementation and enhanced project performance. The latter is achieved by considering the lessons learned and recommendations offered by this paper during the early stages of the project and before the contract award.