Correcting construction site work that does not meet specified requirements is referred to as field rework; the need for field rework can result from design errors, client changes, material defects, and other changes. It is a persistent issue that impacts cost, schedule, and profitability.
Researcher Peter E. D. Love wanted to better understand the true financial burden caused by field rework. Previous studies have relied on estimates, reporting rework costs as high as 12.4% of contract value when change orders and quality issues are combined. In this study, the author analyzed actual rework costs collected from a contractor’s projects. This research reveals that actual precompletion rework costs average 0.38% of contract value and that when postcompletion corrections are included, the figure rises to 0.76%. These findings underscore that rework costs, though smaller than some estimates, can significantly erode profit margins for major contractors.
This research, outlined in “Quantifying the Costs of Field Rework in Construction,” is important because it provides reliable, real-world data and practical recommendations for tracking and reducing rework. For practicing civil engineers, the implications are clear: better documentation and analysis of rework can inform quality management strategies, improve cost forecasting, and enhance project delivery efficiency. Learn how this study offers actionable insights to support continuous improvement and profitability in construction practice. Read the full paper in the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management at https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-17026. The abstract is below.
Abstract
Limited knowledge exists about the actual costs of field rework in construction. The reported costs of rework presented in the literature vary significantly because of differing definitions and methods used to quantify them. Exacerbating this problem is the difficulty in obtaining actual field rework data because contractors are typically averse to providing access to their costs due to commercial confidentiality. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study undertaken by a contractor’s quality managers, who sought to determine the actual costs of field rework in their projects. Actual rework costs, excluding those materializing postcompletion because data were unavailable, were underreported by 300% and were found to be, on average, 0.38% (minimum 0.01% and maximum 3.67%) of a project’s contract value. The quality managers suggested that precompletion and postcompletion rework costs were roughly equal. Thus, with the inclusion of postcompletion corrections, average rework costs increase to an average of 0.76% (minimum 0.02% and maximum 7.34%) of a project’s contract value. Several practical recommendations to help the contractor better track rework costs and their causes have also been identified. The contributions of this paper are twofold: it provides: 1) new insights into the makeup of actual field rework costs, and 2) a series of actions to improve an organization’s ability to document, track, and communicate its rework.
Read the paper in full to gain the benefits (and savings) of these field rework cost findings in the ASCE Library: https://doi.org/10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-17026.
