A recent study by PlanRadar, a foremost platform for digital documentation, communication, and reporting in construction, facility management, and real estate projects, highlights a significant contradiction within quality management. Despite more than 70% of construction companies worldwide, including those in the GCC, initiating QA/QC processes from the first day, over 77% still encounter inconsistencies across sites and trades. The consequence: diminished profit margins, increased disputes, and heightened warranty risks.
Ibrahim Imam, co-founder and CEO of PlanRadar, stated: “QA/QC is crucial in the construction sector, yet the challenge lies in maintaining consistency. Our data reveals that when each site and trade operates by its own rules, quality becomes arbitrary and costs unpredictable. The solution is clear: implementing unified, enforceable QA/QC standards that enhance transparency, minimize disputes, and safeguard margins.”
Key insights
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77% of participants report inconsistent QA/QC documentation across projects.
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Firms with consistent QA/QC are 28% more likely to achieve profit margins above 3%.
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67% of companies associate QA/QC failures with project delays.
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Organizations lacking defined QA/QC standards are 50% more likely to face warranty exposure and 23% more likely to encounter subcontractor disputes.
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In the GCC, Saudi Arabian respondents prioritized meeting compliance as their chief QA/QC concern, while UAE firms emphasized documentation quality and subcontractor management.
The GCC perspective
In the GCC, these findings reflect actual industry conditions. In Saudi Arabia, adherence to the Saudi Building Code continues to drive construction reform, with regulatory requirements being the primary QA/QC focus. Conversely, in the UAE, where large urban projects require seamless cross-trade coordination, documentation quality and subcontractor management are identified as key challenges.
Despite regulatory advancements, inconsistency continues to cost the region millions. Companies without QA/QC standards are over 50% more likely to experience warranty exposure (54% vs. 35%) and 23% more likely to face subcontractor disputes (43% vs. 35%). The report confirms that improving QA/QC consistency could significantly boost profitability and accountability in GCC construction projects.
Profitability through consistency
The data emphasizes the financial advantages of standardization. Companies that systematically apply QA/QC are 28% more likely to report profit margins above 3% (60% vs. 47%) and nearly twice as likely to limit rework to below 5% of total project budgets (56% vs. 37%).
This benefit often stems from eliminating variability: when approvals, documentation, and evidence are consistently captured across every site, leaders achieve better oversight and can prevent minor problems from escalating.
Quality gaps also cause widespread disruption — two-thirds of companies (67%) report project delays due to QA/QC failures. Among those measuring the impact, six out of ten said quality issues extend schedules by over two weeks, while nearly one in four face delays exceeding a month. When QA/QC processes fail, 76% of companies incur higher labor and overtime costs, 50% experience strained client relationships, and nearly one-third face direct contractual penalties.
From compliance to profit strategy
The report indicates that QA/QC consistency is now not just about compliance but is a strategy for profit. Organizations establishing standardized, enforceable processes across all trades achieve greater cost visibility, reduce rework, and deliver more predictable outcomes.
However, enforcement remains a significant challenge. Over half of the surveyed companies acknowledge lacking a clear or enforceable subcontractor QA/QC framework, while the use of a single, specialized digital platform is still rare.
PlanRadar: Enhancing consistency through technology
PlanRadar integrates QA/QC workflows into daily operations. By using SiteView 360° reality capture, teams can perform simple site inspections with helmet-mounted cameras to record 360° visual progress while simultaneously capturing QA/QC data, ensuring each construction stage is supported by both structured documentation and visual evidence.
This integration offers project leaders in the GCC and beyond a practical, scalable means to reduce rework, speed up approvals, and increase accountability throughout all project phases.
