Purpose The construction industry’s daily processes demand heavy data usage and communication between project participants to meet client requirements. Thus, the application of information technology in project implementation has been increasing in the construction sector (CS) lately. However, the same cannot be seen in public sectors responsible for implementing government projects in South Africa. This study aimed to investigate the causes and effects of the underutilisation of information communication technology (ICT) in the building section of a public sector in a municipality in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted for the study, using a public sector in one of the municipalities as a case study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted among the building unit workers, using unstructured interview questions. The data collected were analysed using the ATLAS.ti software. Findings The findings indicate a lack of understanding of existing and newly available ICT software and hardware technology among staff within the building technology due to lack of digitalisation in construction projects implementation, inadequate system upgrades, lack of adequate ICT resources, lack of financial resources for internet and software application subscriptions and lack of ICT training leading. The issues mentioned above have led to the outsourcing of projects professionals, slow pace of electronic emails, untrained professionals, usage of different and unlicensed software, resulting in the underutilisation of ICT within the whole building section. This change also adversely affects all officials, especially the junior officials who have graduated using the most recent ICT technology during their studies. Research limitations/implications The building department of only one public sector was used for the study; therefore, the findings may not be generalisable. The case study public sector’s name is withheld for confidentiality purposes. Practical implications Adequate change management and continuous development, combined with the allocation of proper resources, would be necessary for all staff members. Enormous investments had to be made in the ICT equipment by providing a sufficient budget in the building section of the public sectors. The building section within public sectors should provide change management to all aged skills staff by attending seminars to learn new ICT technology applied within its work environment. Originality/value The study established the causes of the underutilisation of ICT in the CS, especially in the public work departments and municipalities, and how this contributes to service delivery.

PurposeThe study aims to find the causes of road projects implementation delays in Blantyre, one of the four city councils (CCs) in Malawi.Design/methodology/approachThe study followed a qualitative research approach using a Blantyre City Council (BCC) as a case study. This study combined in-depth, face-to-face interviews with councillors, secretariat staff, consultants, and contractors who worked on the city's road projects. Data gathered were analysed using thematic content analysis. Also, some road project documents were examined.FindingsThe findings from the case study revealed the primary cause of road project construction delays as the shortage of engineers in conducting detailed proposed projects surveys resulting in incomplete project scope definition before contractor's procurement. Other identified factors were service providers delaying the removal of existing public utility infrastructure from project sites, client funding issues, scope changes, and client delays in issuing instructions to the contractors during project implementation. Another factor was the shortage of construction equipment and construction materials experienced by some appointed contractors.Research limitations/implicationsOnly road construction projects and stakeholders operating from Blantyre city, Malawi, were contacted for the study; thus, the findings may not be generalizable.Practical implicationsThere is an urgent need to increase technical employees, especially engineers and other critical technical staff such as quantity surveyors in Blantyre. Employees' conditions of service should be conducive to attract qualified people to undertake effective management and assessment of projects before commencement to identify the feasibility of proposed projects to decrease the rate of road construction project delays.Originality/valueThe study has established Blantyre city's core challenges in implementing its road projects seamlessly and has provided mitigation measures for dealing with the shortcomings.

No abstract

Prefabricated construction in the construction industry is a growing technology implemented globally. However, some countries do not implement this new technology. This study sought to identify the barriers hindering the adoption of prefabricated construction in the South African construction industry. The research focused on South Africa, specifically East London in Eastern Cape Province. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews of six prefabrication building firms. The data collected was then analysed and coded using thematic content analysis. The study’s findings indicate the barriers to the acceptance of prefabricated construction as aesthetic appeal, product stigmas and beliefs, financial commitment, product flexibility, public and construction industry knowledge, and effect on construction industry professionals. Thus the lack of understanding of the prefabricated construction method is the primary barrier to adopting this construction method in South Africa. All these factors underpin the lack of prefabricated construction and building methods in the South African construction industry, especially in East London. The study suggests that with the barriers against adopting prefabricated construction, further investigation is recommended to mitigate these barriers.