Identification of the relations between dispute factors and dispute categories in construction projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to: distinguish dispute factors from dispute categories, terms generally used interchangeably in the literature; compose consistent and comprehensive lists of dispute factors and categories; and identify the impacts of various dispute factors through empirical analysis of the associations between dispute factors and categories.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 50 construction projects in Turkey (each with a contract amount of 1 million USD or over) were investigated and analysed employing a specially developed dispute research survey form and through interviews with the project managers.Findings – Specific suggestions have been developed for various stakeholders of construction projects, building upon the associations revealed by the correlation analysis. These suggestions relate to the following issues; for employers: contractor selection (experience and technical capability), avoiding variations and punctual instructions; for consultants: preparation of proje...