Quantity Surveyors Research Articles

Assessing the Use of Construction Plant and Equipment by Construction Companies in Awka Anambra State, Nigeria

The research assessed the Use of Construction Plant and equipment by construction Companies in Awka. The researcher used survey research method through questionnaires to collect data. The target population was construction companies in Awka metropolis from which a sample of eighty (80) was drawn. The relevant literature was reviewed for the study. The data collected were presented, analyzed and hypothesis tested. Among other things the results of the study revealed the following: That there is inadequate or under - utilization of plant for construction works in Awka metropolis and this has resulted in delays. That there is ignorance of the knowledge of hiring and owning criteria as well as factors to be considered before applying plant on jobs for better works and economy. The following recommendations were made: Firstly, construction companies should procure some plant to reduce the percentage of work done manually. Secondly, to be an economic proposition, large items of plant need to be continuously employed and not left idle for considerable period of time. Owners of mechanical plant must have sufficient work for the plant either through firm's owned contract or through public line business. Thirdly, advice of quantity surveyors should be sought when decisions are to be taken whether to hire or purchase plaint items for some specified work.

Maintenance Works for Heritage Buildings in Perak: Construction Players Perspective

The aim of this study is to determine the construction player’s perspective on the impacts of good maintenance work for heritage buildings in Perak. Two objectives were established including to identify factors that lead to the lack of maintenance work for heritage buildings in Perak and to evaluate impacts of good maintenance work on heritage buildings. The questionnaire was distributing to 63 numbers construction players who are architect, engineer, quantity surveyor and contractor at Kinta, Kuala Kangsar and Larut Matang and Selama, Perak and receive 41 responses. Data was analyse using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 28.0 quantitative software. The findings of this study show factors that lead to the lack of maintenance work for heritage buildings in Perak is guideline and requirement and impacts of good maintenance work on heritage buildings is preserve historical values. The output from the research will give insight to construction players regarding the importance of maintenance works on heritage buildings and can be used to fill the loopholes in current maintenance approach. Therefore, the importance of maintenance works for heritage buildings can be highlighted and issues in maintenances works can be minimized.

Comparative Anatomical Study of the Species Notobasis syriaca Cass and Silybum marianum L. (Asteraceae) in Salah-Aldin Governorate (Iraq)

This research was carried out to study the sources of work related Stress risk at the construction sector of Afghanistan. Stress risk is major problem not only in Afghanistan but also all over the world. It is important to ensure that workers can perform best, considering the highly competitive demands and competition of the construction industry. The objectives of this research are to study the sources of work related stress risk at the construction sector of Afghanistan. The methodology of this study includes data collection, and data analysis. Data was collected using questionnaire survey in Afghanistan through email from the construction industry professional such as project manager, site supervisor, project engineer, quantity surveyor, and architect. The data was analyzed using frequency analysis, the average index. To visualize the result, tables, figures like bar, and pie charts were used to clarify the results. The research revealed that the physical environment, the job itself, and the organization is the key factor for the source stress risk at construction industry of Afghanistan. Based on the analysis of likelihood and severity from eighteen fifteen were main sources were in the very high and high stress risk category for the factors such as workload, work pattern, and work environment.

Effects of Macroeconomic Indicators on Cost of Building Materials in Nigeria

A fallacy may exist regarding the availability of affordable houses due to rising inflation and the high cost of construction supplies brought on by the struggling economy. Because of this, most developing nations, including Nigeria, are dependent on the importation of building materials. This study looked into how certain macroeconomic parameters affected the cost of building supplies. The macroeconomic indicators are the interest rate, GDP, and inflation. The study's main finding is that the prices of building materials are not much impacted by these macroeconomic indices. Quarterly data over a period of ten years, from 2012 to 2021, were used in the study and were taken from public sources. The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Quarterly Journal and the Guardian Newspaper provided the information on building materials. The Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin was used to derive data on Gross Domestic Product, inflation, and the minimum rediscount rate. Multiple regression was the analytical approach utilized, and the findings indicated that the GDP, inflation, and interest rates all had a positive, substantial impact on the cost of building materials. This means that the price of building materials is influenced by key macroeconomic indices such as inflation, GDP, and interest rates. The report suggested lowering import taxes, waiving taxes for local manufacturers of building materials, and lowering bank loan interest rates, while Nigeria's government and central bank should develop policies to regulate and stabilize these macroeconomic indicators.

Dissonances in Building Cost: An Analytic Review of the Impact of Design Variables

The cost of building is influenced by a variety of design variables. There would however appear a paucity of readily available cost data on the impact of design variables. This research is set out with a view towards the establishing readily available cost data information as well as relevant cost indices. The research used case study from previous buildings, extensive reviews, the statistical technique of percentile as its computational technique and rates obtained from synthesized bills priced by professional Quantity Surveying firms, as relevant components of its methodology. The location of the research, Port Harcourt metropolis is situated in Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Research findings from the case study buildings as well as extensive literature review established that there exist differentials in the initial and total costs of both building plan Shapes (Square and rectangular), recording a 12.56 percentage differential. The elemental cost derived from both shapes also established differentials between 0.53 to 17.79%. The study also establishes the perimeter wall and gross floor area ratio which is an important index towards the determination of economic building shapes. The research concludes that the results, from the case study building would appear limited and as such should avoid being overgeneralized, nevertheless, it does serves to further reveal in broad terms, that the influence of plan shapes of simple buildings on cost is minimal. It recommends further, exploratory study that focuses on design and their cost implications, using cost models that input a wider range of variables

Prioritizing the survival determinants of quantity surveying firms in economic contraction

PurposeMicro, small and medium-sized enterprises are the live wire of construction industry in developing countries. These classes of establishments are most affected by economic contraction and turmoil, thus affecting their performance and survivability. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate and prioritize the survival determinants of construction consulting organization during economic contraction in Nigeria using quantity surveying firms as a focal point.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted the descriptive-survey design and quantitative data were collected through questionnaire purposely administered to quantity surveying firms in the Southwestern part of Nigeria. The data obtained from 99 quantity surveying firms on survival determinants were analysed using various statistical analysis such as mean score, standard deviation, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and so on. Principal component analysis was used to identify the principal components of survival determinants, while the factors were prioritized using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).FindingsThe result of the analysis reveals eight factors that significantly determines the survival of firms during the period of economic contraction. Furthermore, the eight grouped factors were prioritized accordingly namely firm's innovation and diversification, ownership structure and networking, education level and management skills, and so on.Practical implicationsThis study investigated the survival determinants of quantity surveying firms and prioritized it with the opinions of principal partners in quantity surveying establishments. As against obtaining large survey responses from all quantity surveyors in the study area that may not have practical experience of managing firms, the limited responses received provide valid basis to broaden the horizon of professionals and other stakeholders on the key determinants for firms to survive economic turmoil.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing information on prioritized factors that must be considered in an appropriate order by quantity surveying firms to survive economic contraction.

Analysis of the relationship between organisational culture and innovation in Nigerian quantity surveying firms

Quantity Surveying firms in contemporary times have evolved into structurally standard organizations where there is the understanding of organizational culture as an essential management philosophy that drives innovation. This paper seeks to analyze specifically, the relationship between organizational culture and innovation in Quantity Surveying firms. Eighty one (81) completed questionnaires retrieved were used for this analysis. The paper revealed that Quantity Surveying firms exhibited multiple types of innovation such as service innovation, process innovation, organizational innovation, market innovation and resource innovation. It further revealed that quantity surveying firms exhibited multiple types of organizational culture such as competitive culture, social responsibility culture supportiveness' culture, innovation culture, emphasis etc. It therefore concluded that organizational culture has a significant relationship with innovation in quantity surveying firms. The findings implied that there were need for the management of Quantity Surveying firms to embrace organizational culture as a strategy for improving innovation practice and there is also the need for the management of Quantity Surveying firms to embrace innovation as a strategy for improving organizational culture.

Study the Sources of Work Related Stress Risk at Construction Sector of Afghanistan

This research was carried out to study the sources of work related Stress risk at the construction sector of Afghanistan. Stress risk is major problem not only in Afghanistan but also all over the world. It is important to ensure that workers can perform best, considering the highly competitive demands and competition of the construction industry. The objectives of this research are to study the sources of work related stress risk at the construction sector of Afghanistan. The methodology of this study includes data collection, and data analysis. Data was collected using questionnaire survey in Afghanistan through email from the construction industry professional such as project manager, site supervisor, project engineer, quantity surveyor, and architect. The data was analyzed using frequency analysis, the average index. To visualize the result, tables, figures like bar, and pie charts were used to clarify the results. The research revealed that the physical environment, the job itself, and the organization is the key factor for the source stress risk at construction industry of Afghanistan. Based on the analysis of likelihood and severity from eighteen fifteen were main sources were in the very high and high stress risk category for the factors such as workload, work pattern, and work environment.

Study the Causes of Work Related Stress Risk in Construction Sector in Afghanistan

This study was carried out to study the causes of stress risk in the construction sector of Afghanistan. It has become a growing concern in many sectors, not to mention the construction sector. It is important to ensure that workers can perform at their best, considering the construction industry's highly competitive demands and competition. Stress risk has been identified as an important factor influencing an organization's success, as it negatively affects the organization's productivity, professionals' health and safety, efficiency, and costs. The issue of work-related stress risk in the construction sector of Afghanistan is not commonly discussed. The objectives of this study are to find the causes of work-related stress risk. Data was collected using a questionnaire survey in Afghanistan through email from construction industry professionals such as project managers, site supervisors, project engineers, quantity surveyors, and architects. The data was analyzed using frequency analysis, the average index. For the causes of work-related stress risk, the main issues were the lack of management and control over work and increasing the employee’s expectations using the standard of safety. Based on the analysis of likelihood and severity, Ninth factors were in the very high and two were neutral the high stress risk at construction site were lack management and it supports, increase in duties, lack tool and safety.

Assessment of Glass Ceiling Barriers to the Career Advancement of Professional Women in Construction Industry

Women in organisations experience a ‘glass ceiling’ that prevents them from reaching top management levels or executive status in the construction industry thus raising the question of gender equality in the workplace. This study investigates the glass ceiling barrier in the Nigerian construction industry organisations and how this is perceived by the professional women. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of professional women (Architecture, Building, Quantity Surveying and Engineering) who have practiced in the construction industry was adopted. Mean, percentages, independent T-test and ANOVA statistics were utilised for data analysis. The study found that women face high prejudice where they are perceived to be less than men and also there is an unconscious bias due to cultural, tribal and ethnic differences in decision making by top Management. The women who have attained the Fellows cadre in their professional organisations are also treated with respect and are more likely to break through the glass ceiling barrier at an average level. The study concludes that professional women face glass ceiling barriers in their workplaces within the construction industry at an average level. Thus, it is recommended that professionals within construction should have lesser prejudices against women and see them as professionals with same abilities in carrying out task just like their male counterparts.

The Effect of Non-Excusable Delay Factors on The Completion of Building Construction Projects

A problem that often occurs in construction projects is the delay in the implementation process. Various factors cause the delay, but in developing countries such as Indonesia, the dominant delay occurs because the implementing contractor causes it for unforgivable reasons (non-excusable delay). This study aims to determine the influence of the non-excusable delay parameter and the relationship between these factors. The research is quantitative with data collection techniques in the form of unstructured interviews, field observations, and surveys using research questionnaires with the number of respondents obtained as many as 33 people consisting of the owner, construction management consultant, quantity surveyor consultant, and ends with confirmation of the results. Research on the implementing contractor. Data analysis was performed using multiple linear regression analysis. The test results of multiple linear regression analysis show that the non-excusable delay factor can significantly affect the completion of construction projects. The influence of each element is 0.434 units for the lack of contractor competence, 0.067 units for inappropriate implementation planning, and -0.097 for inefficient field management units. And simultaneously, these three factors can significantly increase the project delay value index.

A Blockchain-Based e-Government Service for Quantity Surveyors

A Blockchain-Based e-Government Service for Quantity Surveyors

Assessments of the Application of Earned Value Management System for Construction Project Performance Measurement in Zanzibar

Many construction projects in developing countries including in Zanzibar suffer from time and budget overruns. The Revolution Government of Zanzibar established different bodies such as Zanzibar Contractors Registration Board (ZCRB), Zanzibar Architects, Engineers and Quantity Surveyors Registration Board (ZAEQRB), Zanzibar Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Asset Authority (ZPPDA), among others with the aim of controlling the performance of project. Often scope creep, time and cost overruns are very common problems in construction projects. This study aims at addressing those problems by assessing the use of Earned Value Management (EVM) methodology in measuring construction industry performance in Zanzibar. The study used purposive sampling to select the sample. A self-administered questionnaire and round table discussions were deployed to architects, engineers, project managers, and quantity surveyors for data collection. Also, a case study design was employed whereby four ongoing construction projects were used as samples to collect data. The data were processed using Microsoft Excel where Chi- square, ANOVA, and Earned Value Analysis (EVA) were used to analyze the data. The study findings indicate that majority of key players of construction industry of Zanzibar were unaware of the EVA as a tool for monitoring the performance of the projects, although they practice EVMS to some extent. Also, all four cases used in this study, indicated underperformances in terms of scope, time and cost parameters.

EDITORIAL

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Dear All, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Construction Management (JAPCM), Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design is one the official journals of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), under IIUM Press. It embarked in 2011 and is dedicated to the publication of original articles on the specialized fields of Architecture, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Quantity Surveying, Building Technology and Engineering, Applied Arts and Design, Construction Management and those related to the Built Environment. JAPCM is also the ardent forum for the reports of research that bridged the Built Environment and the Islamic worldview. Prof. Ar. Dr. Abdul Razak Sapian Editor-in-Chief

Mitigating the impact of global recession on construction projects: Exploring potential solutions

The effect of global recession has caused many havoc to construction project in Nigeria, if not prevented, it can cause high cost of building materials, abandon project and insolvency. Therefore, this study examined the possible solution to the effects global recession on construction projects in Ondo state, Nigeria. This was with a view to reduce the effects of global recession on construction projects in the study area. The study is important to the construction stakeholders, policy makers and future studies. Seventy-one (71) valid questionnaires were administered among the construction stakeholders working on a construction projects in the study area, these include the Quantity surveyor, Architect, Engineer and Builder with a retrieval of Sixty-two (62). Frequency and percentage were used to analyze the demographic information of the respondents while data on possible solution to the effect of global recession on construction project was analyzed using mean score and ranking. The study concluded that Government should invest in large scale public infrastructural projects, transparency and check unethical behavior among workers, well prepared and planned budget are major possible solution to the effects of global recession in construction projects. This study recommended that Government involvement in providing the social amenities for the smooth running of the project, transparency among the stakeholders should be adopted and the scope of the project should be well understood in order to prepare a well-planned budget to curb global recession in construction industry.

Significant factors affecting the New Zealand transportation infrastructure project cost – quantity surveyors' perception

PurposeCost overrun is one of the critical issues faced in construction projects, as nine out of ten projects will likely go over the budget. In particular, transportation infrastructure (TI) projects, such as roads and bridges, are vastly affected by cost overruns, which can delay the entire project. This research intends to identify the factors affecting the cost overruns in New Zealand (NZ) TI projects.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted using a questionnaire survey involving ninety-two participants experienced in infrastructure project estimation in NZ. Quantitative methods were used to analyse the data.FindingsFifty-three factors were identified through literature under ten categories. Based on the survey, ten significant factors were identified with a high grade of importance. The three most critical factors were “frequent design changes,” “poor planning and scheduling” and “inadequate tender documentation.” It was found that the cost overrun is primarily affected by the pre-contract stage causes.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected from professionals involved in NZTI projects. Therefore, the implications may be different for other contexts.Practical implicationsThe results will improve the current estimation practice by developing a new statistical model considering all the significant variables for NZTI projects.Originality/valueAlthough much research is done to identify these factors, they are only considered in a few statistical cost models. These new statistical models mainly focused on technical variable factors similar to the current standard estimation process. However, the results of this research, qualitative and quantitative factors, will be used for the future cost model.

Utilization Of Drones as A Tool For Monitoring Progress In Civil Engineering Construction Using Enugu State As A Case Study

The hazardous nature of the Nigerian building construction sector is alarming due to the dearth of construction data and records of incidents that have led to the loss of life, property damage, injuries, and loss of materials on construction sites This study aims to assess the effectiveness of drone monitoring of security and safety at Nigerian building sites in reducing hazardous site conditions. The following hypotheses were made to meet the study's goal and objective to assess the level of drones using Enugu State in Nigeria as a case study. The Methodology includes a literature survey and questionnaires at various sites. 242 people responded to the survey. To assess the constraints of employing quadcopters and other drones/UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for safety and security surveillance on construction sites in Enugu State, Nigeria. Inventive drones and the DJI Phantom 3 Standard Both types of drones were used in this experiment. The targeted experts and stakeholders included architects, builders, engineers, quantity surveyors, land surveyors, estate surveyors, and clients. The data were analyzed using the SPSS computer program for Windows, version 23.0. Only 65 per cent of respondents were aware of the drone idea, although 51 per cent of respondents used drones in various construction monitoring sectors. The adoption rate of 17.6% for safety and security monitoring, however, was deemed low by participants in the Enugu State building construction sector. Drones have been successfully used in developed countries such as America, Europe, China, Australia, and India, to monitor safety and security as well as the progress of both large-scale and high-rise construction projects. As a tool for monitoring the security and safety of all building phases, drones are still in their infancy from the Nigerian perspective. The successful use of drones in Nigeria is encouraged since realistic imagery generated from drones may be used for analysis and evaluation of ongoing construction work, including planning movement on site and monitoring materials on site and may be archived for future purposes

Benefits and barriers for poka-yoke implementation to minimise variations in construction projects

Variations are inevitable in any construction project. People tend to view variations as a natural and inherent part of construction work, due to the complexity of the construction project. Lack of knowledge, inexperience, and wrong expectations frequently caused variations and eventually lead to exceeding the project cost. Hence, minimising variations in construction projects is vital to the sustainable delivery of the project. Poka-Yoke is a Japanese mistake-proofing method that received wider recognition in the service industry. However, there is a lack of research on how Poka-Yoke can be implemented to minimise mistakes in construction projects. Therefore, this research is aimed to investigate the benefits and barriers of Poka-Yoke implementation for Sri Lankan construction projects to minimise variations. To collect qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts, and code-based content analysis through NVivo 12 was used to analyse the data. As Poka-Yoke is novel to the Sri Lankan construction industry, the identified nine barriers will pave the way for professionals to avoid the existing barriers by taking necessary precautions prior to implementation. Thus, the findings further emphasised the need for the government to provide proper knowledge through training sessions. The identified fifteen benefits will be encouraged professionals to use Poka-Yoke to minimise the causes of variations in construction projects. The construction industry professionals, Engineers, Architects, and Quantity Surveyors have to bind their greatest involvement during the designing stages to minimize the variations and thus benefit from the research findings.

DETERMINATION ON THE RESPONSE AMONG QUANTITY SURVEYORS TO BENEFICIAL OF IMPLEMENTING ISLAMIC WORK ETHICS (IWE) IN MALAYSIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The concept of Islamic Works Ethics (IWE) is a ground-breaking one in terms of ethics and professionalism. It is founded on Islamic teachings and principles, which are based on faith. Implementing IWE has a number of advantages, including increased job satisfaction, performance, organisational commitment, growth in behaviour and manners, motivation, and more. Regrettably, only a small number of businesses, particularly in Malaysia's construction industry, have integrated IWE into their operations. Based on previous studies, mostly researcher focused on implementation IWE in construction industry as general not specific towards person who are involed in the construction. As a result, the objective of this article is to determine the response among Quantity Surveyors in the Malaysian construction industry on beneficial of implementation on IWE. The questionnaire was given to the quantity surveyor who works in Kuala Lumpur in order to accomplish the objective. There were 68 responses in all, accounting for 85% of the response rate. The finding was reported as descriptive statistics, and the most recent SPSS version was used to determine the means of each variable. It concluded that the IWE contribute positively to organisational commitment, work satisfaction, and justice. Hence, this article looks insights of the effects of Islamic work ethics (IWE) on employees’ behavior in construction industry in Malaysia.

An artificial neural network (ANN) approach for early cost estimation of concrete bridge systems in developing countries: the case of Sri Lanka

PurposeThe Government’s investment in infrastructure projects is considerably high, especially in bridge construction projects. Government authorities must establish an initial forecasted budget to have transparency in transactions. Early cost estimating is challenging for Quantity Surveyors due to incomplete project details at the initial stage and the unavailability of standard cost estimating techniques for bridge projects. To mitigate the difficulties in the traditional preliminary cost estimating methods, there is a requirement to develop a new initial cost estimating model which is accurate, user friendly and straightforward. The research was carried out in Sri Lanka, and this paper aims to develop the artificial neural network (ANN) model for an early cost estimate of concrete bridge systems.Design/methodology/approachThe construction cost data of 30 concrete bridge projects which are in Sri Lanka constructed within the past ten years were trained and tested to develop an ANN cost model. Backpropagation technique was used to identify the number of hidden layers, iteration and momentum for optimum neural network architectures.FindingsAn ANN cost model was developed, furnishing the best result since it succeeded with around 90% validation accuracy. It created a cost estimation model for the public sector as an accurate, heuristic, flexible and efficient technique.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the current body of knowledge by providing the most accurate early-stage cost estimate for the concrete bridge systems in Sri Lanka. In addition, the research findings would be helpful for stakeholders and policymakers to propose policy recommendations that positively influence the prediction of the most accurate cost estimate for concrete bridge construction projects in Sri Lanka and other developing countries.