By the numbers: The analysis, which covered 2,410 projects across 122 countries worth a combined $2.56 trillion, found:

Design-related failures were a factor in disputes on 40.5% of all projects.
Scope change was cited in 33.4% of project disputes.
On average, claims on contracts equaled two-thirds of the planned schedule and one-third of the budget.

The big picture: There is evidence of improving risk management across the industry. Projects scheduled for completion from 2020 onward saw average time extension claims fall to 48.8% of the original schedule, with contested costs dropping to 28.4% of the budget.

Both incomplete design and scope change as dispute drivers were down by nearly 10 percentage points on these more recent projects.

Zoom in: Sectors tied to the energy transition show distinct risk profiles.

Data Centers: While time overruns on later projects were nearly halved, the value of disputed costs tripled, rising from 20.6% to 30.2% of budgets.
Nuclear: Later projects saw smaller time overruns, but dispute sums ballooned to 122% of contracted budgets, often driven by design issues.
Renewables: These projects face hurdles from policy uncertainty, supply-chain constraints, and unforeseen site conditions, which disrupted nearly a quarter (23.7%) of projects.

Between the lines: Regional performance varies significantly.

The Middle East was the most improved region, with average time extensions shrinking from 97.6% on earlier projects to 46.7% on later ones.
In contrast, Oceania was the only region where schedule overruns lengthened on more recent projects, rising to 60.0%.
In Europe, design error was the top cause of disputes, outranking scope change.

SURVEY: Design Failures and Scope Changes Are Top Causes of Construction Disputes

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