Overview of Feasibility Study Procedures for Public Construction Projects in Arab Countries

Abstract. Feasibility study is simply defined as precise reviews andexaminations to decide the feasibility of different investmentalternatives. Generally, there are no standard procedures to carry outthe feasibility study, especially for public projects, in Arab countries.In addition to the limited and constrained capital resources, thesecountries are characterized by imprecise and lack of different social,economical and environmental information. The paper presents anoverview of the feasibility study procedures used in the public sectorin different Arab countries along with their advantages, disadvantages,and items of inconsistency. A pilot study of 91 highway publicprojects, in Egypt, was conducted by the authors to gain a betterunderstanding of the Egyptian public sector as a sample study of theArab countries. The study concluded the existence of inconsistency inthe used feasibility study procedures. This study stresses the need fordeveloping, in light of the reviewed different used procedures, astandard feasibility study procedures that eliminate this inconsistency.