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Volume 13 | Issue 8 | Year 2026 | Article Id. IJCE-V13I8P105 | DOI : https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I8P105

Quantitative Study of the Average Productivity Indices of Civil Works in the Cusco Region in the Period 2023-2025

Aida Zapata Mar, Luis Gerardo Becerra Infantas, Cinthia Ríos Altamirano, Romina Anabel Marin Monge, Leydi Ricalde Ccotohuanca, Antony Rafael Cardenas Enriquez, Tania Mamani Condori, Albert Jorddy Valenzuela Inga

Received Revised Accepted Published
07 Mar 2026 05 May 2026 14 Jul 2026 31 Aug 2026

Citation :

Aida Zapata Mar, Luis Gerardo Becerra Infantas, Cinthia Ríos Altamirano, Romina Anabel Marin Monge, Leydi Ricalde Ccotohuanca, Antony Rafael Cardenas Enriquez, Tania Mamani Condori, Albert Jorddy Valenzuela Inga, "Quantitative Study of the Average Productivity Indices of Civil Works in the Cusco Region in the Period 2023-2025," International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 86-95, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I8P105

Abstract

For civil works, labor productivity indices (man-hours per unit) are frequently used to estimate labor demand, cost and duration, but use of national reference values is not always accompanied by validation of the execution conditions in the region. This research aims to measure and compare the Average Productivity Ratios (APR) of a structural activity of works for civil engineering services that were carried out in the Cusco region for the years 2023-2025. A quantitative and comparative design is coupled with a descriptive design, and two data sources are used: (i) CAPECO reference values, then productivity ratios are calculated via unit cost analyses, and (ii) data from field-based records, which is gathered from UNSAAC thesis documentation and professional internship performance logs, and productivity ratios are calculated directly from quantities executed and man-hours actually spent. Differences are evaluated based on descriptive statistics and percentage variation analyses by activity and by family (reinforcing steel, concrete, formwork/stripping). The findings indicate that productivity behavior is very item-specific. The averages of reinforcing steel and formwork are near CAPECO and have moderate deviations, so there is some level of applicability as a starting point. In comparison, the man-hours per unit for concrete-related activities show the greatest variation and, in several items, significantly less per man-hour than CAPECO, indicating greater efficiency for the local conditions, which are often repetitive, with readily available work fronts and continuity of supply. Further, the study finds preliminary reference ratios for activities not included in CAPECO that are commonly used in road and sanitation works, including ready-mix concrete pavement slabs and certain formwork activities. Based on these findings, localized productivity benchmarks could be developed to increase the accuracy of estimates, reliability of schedules, and productivity control in Cusco based civil works.

Keywords

Civil works, Construction productivity, Labor productivity, Man-Hours, Productivity Ratios.

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