Quantity Surveyors Research Articles

Risk Level of Design and Procurement Factors Causing Construction Waste Generation

Abstract Construction waste is a global concern among the practitioners and has got attention of the researchers for many years. This issue is serious in construction industry of Pakistan also and various researchers have contributed in addressing it. This paper identified design and procurement related factors and assessed their risk level in causing construction waste. Data was collected through questionnaire survey amongst the practitioners from client consultants and contractors working on construction projects in Karachi and Hyderabad division of the Sind province. A total of 72 completed questionnaire forms were analysed and the results shows that 8 of the 20 factors are highly important factors and fall in the red zone of the risk matrix. It was also observed that last minute client requirements is reported as most important factor in design related issues while “items not in compliance with specification” is the most risk factor in the category of the procurement. Besides these, “last minute client requirements” and “Mistakes in quantity surveys” are the key factors which have significant effect on project cost. The findings of this study will be helpful for the practitioner to improve design and procurement quality for controlling the waste generation.

Construction Professionals’ Compliance to The Builder’s Risk Insurance in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Whereas, building construction involves several professionals, tradesmen, unskilled labour and use of various equipment and materials, in unpredictable climates, risk management remains an integral part of any successful construction project. To mitigate the occurrence of risks on construction sites, builder’s risk insurance policies are statutorily provided for construction processes. The study, therefore, aimed at assessing construction professionals’ compliance to the compulsory builder’s risk insurance in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Data were primarily collected using a questionnaire. Respondents were selected based on their direct involvement in the delivery of construction projects in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study adopted a random/probability sampling technique and involved two hundred and fifty-two (252) respondents that consisted of 69 Architects, 38 Builders, 47 Quantity Surveyors and 98 Engineers. From the results obtained, it was concluded that construction professionals are highly aware of the builder’s risk insurance, but their levels of compliance to the builder’s risk insurance is moderate. The implication of these findings is that the building construction industry might continue to experience losses accruing from not maximizing the builder’s risk insurance. Thus, ensuring a high level of compliance to the builder’s risk insurance policy in building construction projects will help mitigate potential losses and disputes on construction sites, and avoid time and cost overruns. Keywords: Builder’s risk insurance, Awareness, Compliance, Construction professionals. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/13-10-08 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

Satisfaction of Quantity Surveying Students towards Online Distance Learning (ODL) during Covid-19 Pandemic

Satisfaction of Quantity Surveying Students towards Online Distance Learning (ODL) during Covid-19 Pandemic

Leveraging Quantity Surveying Data and BIM to Automate Mechanical and Electrical (M & E) Construction Planning

Despite the great potential of LPS and BIM to improve construction project productivity, the full integration of these modern production and information management systems at the data processing level is not yet achieved. After matching the literature to empirical studies in a Constructive Research Approach, it emerged that very few studies have investigated how buildings’ data could be preserved and continuously evolve during the project lifecycle. Accordingly, we underline the potential role of data warehousing in rendering operational data as a strategic asset for decision making. These findings motivate the present research, which aims to capitalize on quantity surveying data in order to automate the generation of M & E installation schedules. This paper first introduces the system functional requirements. Then, it proposes a conceptual scheme for the planning data mart (a data warehouse subset dedicated to planning subject area). Furthermore, we shed light on the M & E fragnet standardization procedure and how data have been processed. Finally, we present the current software developments to demonstrate the feasibility of this concept.

Evaluating risk factors of build-operate-transfer highway projects in Nigeria

Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) has been one of the preferred models of Public–Private Partnership (PPP) for attracting private finance in the Nigerian highway sector. This paper evaluates the risk factors in the Nigerian highway sector with a view to identify significant risks and drawing the attention of the stakeholders on the need to focus attention on these risks. The population for this study includes major stakeholders such as: public sector organizations (government agencies) especially those in charge of BOT/PPP projects, highway engineers, quantity surveyors, concessionaires, registered contractors and selected financial institutions who have participated in BOT projects in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. The list obtained from Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission showed that one hundred and fifty (150) experts fall into this category in which a sample size of one hundred and ten (110) was determined. The study adopted stratified random sampling technique. One hundred and ten (110) questionnaires were administered to respondents, 72 questionnaires were valid and used for the analysis. Out of the seventy (70) risks identified, twenty-one (21) risks were rated significant by the respondents, but the most significant risk factor is interest rate volatility. Others are geotechnical conditions, exchange rate fluctuations, interest rate volatility, high cost of finance, and corruption risk and respect for rule of law etc. Majority of the significant risk factors are economy related. However, there was agreement in the rating of the respondents. The paper concluded that stakeholders should concentrate efforts on these significant risk factors to improve the BOT highway sector which has performed below expectation.

Demystifying the Barriers and Motivators for the Adoption of Base Isolation Systems in New Zealand

A base isolator is a proven system that can significantly reduce any damage to a building in the event of an earthquake. Despite their efficacy, seismic isolators are not widely used in New Zealand, with only about forty systems in use during the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes. This study seeks to investigate why base isolation systems are not frequently used in seismic strengthening projects and buildings in New Zealand. It also focuses on determining ways in which seismic isolators could become more widely used in New Zealand due to increased seismic activity. This study used an exploratory sequential mixed method design, in which qualitative data were collected first through in-depth face-to-face interviews, analysed, and used to construct the quantitative instrument, which was an online questionnaire. Data were obtained from construction professionals such as architects, engineers, site-based construction personnel, and quantity surveyors. The findings of this study indicated the need for an increased awareness of base isolation systems and improved universal guidelines for the design of seismic isolators. The motivators identified include provision of monetary incentives, such as reduced insurance premiums and financial subsidies, to encourage the adoption of seismic isolators. The factors preventing the adoption of base isolation systems in New Zealand were classified as human-related, safety and design-related, and cost-related. The study’s implication is that providing a universal guideline for seismic isolators can enhance designers’ confidence. Likewise, incentives may be provided to property owners to lower the cost of implementing a base isolation system.

Investigation and Analysis on the International Communication Capability of Xinhuanet Russian Version (in Chin.)

Xinhuanet is a portal of Xinhua News Agency, which is also the most globally influential Chinese website in China. Its Russian version publishes information about China, especially today's China to Russian speakers around the world, provides a window and bridge function in transmitting China's voice, promoting mutual understanding and people-to-people ties. Investigation and analysis of ИА Синьхуа in the Russian-speaking world propagation status, can understand its capabilities and validity of international communication, and also provide reference and experience for relevant media. The key to realizing the capability of news communication is to integrate propagation breadth and validity properly. This survey, is divided into two levels of propagation quantity surveys and propagation values, with data information based on Factiva-Global News Monitoring & Search Engine | DOW Jones, the world's largest digital news database. Starting with six representative keywords about China, this survey investigated the release of relevant content on ИА Синьхуа in the last ten years. The results of the survey showed that, the average display rate in the ИА Синьхуа headlines is 20% of the whole network, which has enhanced the display degree of China on the Internet and achieved the effective coverage of information in a certain extent. Through the comparison and linear regression analysis of the word cloud of high-frequency words with relevant thematic texts in foreign media, it is proved that the frequency of high frequency words in ИА Синьхуа has a significant positive impact on the related values of foreign websites, and the dissemination of which is actively effective. The survey also reflects that there is a problem and deficiency in ИА Синьхуа in terms of international communication, which are mainly reflected in the lack of total volume and continuity of headline dissemination and the difference in focus with foreign media. As an important window for the CIS countries to understand China, ИА Синьхуа needs to further improve the total text volume, especially pay attention to the head- lines design of the text, to make it more in line with the online audience's reading habits. At the same time, in order to continuously improve the external communication power and influence from many aspects such as scale and effect, and continue to provide high-quality information about China for the Russian-speaking world, it is necessary to take into account the information needs and receptive psychology of the audience.

Curriculum Change Management Amidst Pandemic Crisis: Comparative Study of Academic Leadership in Quantity Surveying Program

The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly led to unprecedented curriculum change in the higher education institutions in Malaysia. For institutions that were not used to applying online teaching and learning by its nature, the pandemic crisis has imposed a forceful demand for all to shift the existing curricula to online mode overnight, which created a huge challenge for the academic leaders. Hence, this study intended to study and contrast the curriculum change management by academic leaders resulting from the pandemic crisis, as well as the successful leadership styles in handling the crisis-driven change. The study adopted a qualitative research method via a one-to-one semi-structured online interview. Two academic leaders who managed the quantity surveying program in the higher education institutions in Sarawak and Selangor were purposely selected by the researcher to participate in this study, aided by some predefined criteria in the respondent selection. The qualitative data were analysed and deduced using thematic coding through ATLAS.ti software. The findings showed that Kotter’s 8-step framework was useful and supported curriculum change management well in the academic context during the pandemic crisis. In addition, the academic leaders were discovered to adopt a transformational leadership style in successfully handling disruptions and managing the curriculum change due to the pandemic crisis.

Performance Evaluation of Construction Projects Delivery in Insurgency Affected Locations in Maiduguri, North East, Nigeria

The study carried out a performance evaluation of insurgency risk factors in Borno. The insurgency risk factors were analysed in terms of three keys that enhance the success of project delivery i.e. Cost, Time and Quality. The data for the study were collected through a questionnaire survey and administered to the professionals involved in the construction projects i.e. the Civil Engineers, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Builders and Project Managers on construction projects in Maiduguri. The obtained information from the above-mentioned professionals relating to their years of experience and the number of projects they have handled during the insurgency period. A sample size of two hundred and twenty (220) from the total list of the aforementioned respondents Civil Engineers, (52), Builders, (40), Architects, (49), Quantity Surveyors, (43), and Project Managers, (36) i.e. two hundred and forty-eight (248). The sample size was collected using the purposive sampling technique as the targeted sample. The data were analysed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) in order to achieve a concrete and accurate analysis. The results were evaluated and ranked based on the high potential risks prevalent within the construction projects executed during the insurgency period.

Assessment of Building Construction Materials at Manufacturing Industries in Nigeria

To complete a construction project successfully, you'll need a good project control system. To ensure any chance of success, projects of significant size or complexity must be constantly managed. Control standards are used by the project team to ensure that progress is kept at acceptable levels. The purpose of the research is to look into material control in the Nigerian construction industry. The study's goal was to summarize what was already known about material control in construction production. The information was gathered by distributing a standardized questionnaire to experienced experts on building locations and in workplaces. The results demonstrate that 60 present of the locations employ material preparation to control materials, with quantity surveyors performing the majority of the control planning. The way building materials are created and controlled has problems such as lack of planning, , improper storage, late delivery of components to the job site, and poor material testing. The construction business ought to have a document established for controlling building materials; programme material control education should be undertaken, and the three basic techniques (scheduling, material planning, and ABC analysis) should be incorporated into controlling materials.

Assessment of the Innovation Performance of Nigerian Quantity Surveying Firms

To attain a better competitive advantage due to the constantly evolving complexity of processes, products, and services, quantity surveying firms (QSFs) must establish a set of innovation performance indicators. This is because integrated innovativeness into practice can lead to an organization’s success. However, QSFs in the study area are yet to sufficiently explore the potential benefits of innovation performance. This study examined the indicators of innovative performance and assessed the factors influencing the innovation performance of QSFs in the study area. A list of potential innovation performance dimensions and influencing factors have been identified through the literature review. A quantitative research method was adopted for this study. Of the 198 administered questionnaires, a total of 155 questionnaires were retrieved and used in this study. Collected data were analysed using frequency distribution, mean, standard deviation and Mann-Whitney U-test. The findings indicated that although all the innovation performance dimensions were somewhat important, the most undertaking indicator is the process innovation – that is, formation of alliances with others, effective research and development department in the firm, success in terms of developed long-term working relationships with other firms, and level of providing and exchanging experience with other firms. In another development, findings indicated that lack of rewards for innovation, lack of incentive for training investment and lack of qualified innovative personnel are the perceived most important barriers to innovation in QSFs in the study area. Overall, this study helps the QSFs to recognize which innovativeness should be emphasized and the barriers to guide against.

The Emerging Challenges of Adopting BIM in the Construction Industry: Evidence from Sabah, Malaysia

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the cornerstone of digital transformation in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is critical in boosting the productivity and quality of a building not only during design and construction stages but also includes post completion’s maintenance period. However, the majority of project stakeholders are still having difficulties in adopting BIM into practice, especially in the Sabah Construction Industry. In addressing the issues, the research aim is hence will analyze the challenges of adopting BIM and examine the Sabah state governments’ strategies that have been implemented to address the issues. The list of fourteen (14) BIM challenges that cover cost, process, people, technology were derived from a comprehensive literature review and further investigated through the use of 212 questionnaires distributed using online platform. The respondents were architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors. It was revealed that among the top challenges highlighted are: people being comfortable with the conventional process, high software cost, as well as incompetent staff to operate the software. The Sabah state government has assisted with the implementation of BIM by offering standard guidelines and continuous financial support; however, the strategies provided by them were still not enough. The result of this study showed that the implementation of BIM in the construction project in Sabah is still below expectations. The awareness among construction players on how beneficial BIM is in assisting their daily project tasks should be further enhanced for better BIM implementation in the region. The outcomes of this study will hopefully provide some directions towards developing managerial strategies for the government to aggressively promote BIM practices among project stakeholders.

Factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment as a tool for buildability improvement

PurposeImproving buildability of building designs with the aid of buildability assessment is essential because of the effect of designs on construction. Despite the plethora of research into buildability reported over the years, a review of the literature shown a dearth of research into the factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment. Because buildability assessment has been confirmed to be highly beneficial to construction business, this study aims to investigate the factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment as a tool for buildability improvement using Nigeria as a representative case.Design/methodology/approachSurvey research method was adopted for the study. Questionnaires were administered to a purposively selected group of architects, engineers, builders and quantity surveyors involved in construction project delivery within client, consulting and contracting organisations in Nigeria. A total of 368 questionnaires were distributed among the sampled participants, out of which, a total of 219 representing 60% were sufficiently filled and returned. Data collected were analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics.FindingsThe results revealed owner’s commitment, clients’ awareness of the benefits of conducting buildability assessment on building design, unity amongst different professionals in the construction industry, designers consider buildability important, adequate coordination amongst different design disciplines, adequate channel for co-ordination and communication between designers and constructors at the design stage and adequate support from the government as the top most seven factors supporting buildability assessment implementation in construction sector of Nigeria. Secondly, the results from the research revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in factors supporting buildability assessment implementation in construction between clients and consulting and contracting construction organisations in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe findings provide in-depth insight of the factors supporting the implementation of buildability assessment in construction that can help principal stakeholders in construction to facilitate development of strategies required in supporting the adoption and implementation of buildability assessment tool for buildability improvement.

Towards The Elimination of Residential Building Structural Failures Through International Best Implementation Practices in Nigeria

Structural failures and the total collapse of mid-rise residential buildings are common phenomena in Nigeria. The rate at which buildings collapse in Nigeria, the frequency of this occurrence, and the magnitude of the losses which are recorded in terms of lives and properties, are becoming alarming. Such incidents are reaching an unprecedented level and have become a major source of concern, not only to the government at all levels but to all stakeholders involved. This paper identifies and examines structural building regulatory implementation and enforcement practices, focusing on stakeholders’ perceptions of building regulatory enforcement and compliance in Nigeria. Quantitative data were captured via a structured questionnaire survey of architects, builders, and engineers, with valid responses received from 378 (63%), and semi-structured face-to-face interviews with industry professionals from different disciplines, such as structural engineers, heads of building departments, site managers, architects, quantity surveyors, builders and project site supervisors, enabled stakeholders’ perceptions of building regulatory enforcement and compliance to be obtained. Using the software SPSS for descriptive and inferential statistical analysis and Nvivo 10 for the qualitative analysis, the quantitative findings revealed that stakeholders’ perceptions of building regulatory enforcement and compliance are that these are very low and unsatisfactory. The qualitative findings yielded a large amount of multiple-interlocking reasons for the lack of compliance, which were anchored in inadequate project supervision, poverty levels, inadequate regulatory awareness, and inadequate professional experience. The findings emphasise the need for the Nigerian house-building sector to adopt international best regulatory implementation practices in order to eliminate mid-rise residential building structural failures through short-term and long-term initiative measures. The sector should focus on systemic and attitudinal change, implementation through capacity building and team work, double-loop feedback learning, and a continual evaluation of the implementation process with a view towards improving residential building construction regulatory practices in Nigeria.

A principal component analysis of barriers to the implementation of blockchain technology in the South African built environment

PurposeBlockchain technology is one of the emerging innovative technologies making waves globally, and it has been adjudged to have the capability to transform businesses. With the different capabilities of the technology, such as immutability of information and decentralisation of authority attributes, the built environment is slow in its adoption. This study aims to explore the barriers to the implementation of blockchain technology in the construction using a principal component analysis (PCA) approach.Design/methodology/approachThis research took a post-positivist philosophical stance, which informed a quantitative research approach through a questionnaire survey. From the South African built environment and information technology sector, 79 respondents were drawn through a snowballing sampling technique. The built environment professionals include architect, construction project manager, construction manager, quantity surveyor and engineer. Retrieved data were screened and analysed by adopting the descriptive analysis and PCA while Cronbach alpha evaluated the reliability. Also, Kruskal–Wallis H non-parametric test was used to determine the differences in the opinion of the respondent groups.FindingsThe analysis revealed that all the identified barriers ranked above the average mean with lack of clarity, scalability risks and lack of skills or knowledge ranking top three. PCA clustered the identified barriers into three components: organisational barriers, social barriers and technological barriers.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was carried out in the Gauteng province of South Africa, leaving out other provinces due to accessibility, cost and time constraints.Practical implicationsBuilt environment organisations need to be kept abreast of the capabilities of blockchain technology as the major barrier observed was the lack of clarity of blockchain technology. Also, the technological barriers identified from this study need to be addressed by information technology experts to give consumers the desired value for money in implementing blockchain technology for the built environment.Originality/valueThe blockchain technology capabilities are incomparable to any other invention thus far. Therefore, it is very important that the numerous stakeholders in the built environment be made aware of the blockchain technology capabilities while formulating a solution to the identified barriers. This will aid its implementation in the built environment and help the industry measure up with its counterparts.

Student Learning Experiences in Higher Education: Investigating a Quantity Surveying Programme in Malaysia

Higher education institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in fostering quality education. This paper examines the attributes that influence student learning experiences in a quantity surveying (QS) programme in a Malaysian private HEI and uncovers the underlying factors involved. The significance of these attributes as recognised by the students, obtained through a questionnaire survey, are subsequently presented. The findings reveal that the five most important attributes are closely related to the lecturer, namely the lecturer’s preparedness, responsiveness, interpersonal and communication skills, clarity and academic experiences. An exploratory factor analysis identifies the five major underlying factors to be the quality of academic learning to relate to professionalism and competency of lecturers, quality of academic services and support facilities, interpersonal connections and external considerations, curriculum structure and physical environment and facilities. Understanding these factors could help HEIs to devise effective strategies to enhance the quality of service and programme in higher education, which can result in a greater impact on the effectiveness of contemporary QS education and the reputation of the HEI as well as fostering student satisfaction and loyalty.

Organisational learning and sustainability of service-based firms: a canonical correlation analysis

Organizations commit to internal practices such as organizational learning (OL) to achieve competitive advantage. Due to the frail knowledge processes in service-based organizations and the dearth of empirical research specifying the role of OL in institutional sustainability (IS), this study examined OL and IS settings in quantity surveying consultancy (QSC) firms and investigated the latent association between OL and IS. Data from a questionnaire survey of 226 registered quantity surveyors in QSC firms in Nigeria were analyzed using multivariate approaches. The findings show that the effective models of OL in QSCs are information technology-enabled practice, literature guidance, mentoring and competitive benchmarking. Practice internalization, promoting career/welfare advancement, expanding services and having rational commissions are likewise, priority indicators of IS in QSC. A cluster of OL practices was strongly correlated positively with IS, IS performance also altered directly with OL, while variations in OL are projected to govern IS. Planned OL practices, therefore, fortify the firms’ capability to internationalized practice, expand services and secure a rational commission as the hallmarks of business continuity in the professional service-based sector. Sustainable QSCs must embed and maintain a structured learning framework for continuous improvement of human capital to be able to innovate towards IS.

Evaluation of Current Quality Assessment Methods and Approaches by Building Contractors in Lagos State, Nigeria

Contractors need to pay close attention to the quality of materials used for construction as well as the level of skills of individuals engaging in the building process. Greedy investors are taking advantage of the fact that there are no strict and standardized procedures to monitor and control the construction of new houses or the renovation of existing ones, the need to check the existing quality assessment methods and Approaches Utilised by Building Contractors comes highly. The aim of this study to evaluate current quality assessment methods and approaches by building contractors in Lagos state, Nigeria,. In order to realize this aim, the study examined the various methods like statistical method, visual method,feedback method, use of record and automated method. The study employed a descriptive case study design where data was collected from senior managers, project managers, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, and technical managers working with building construction companies in the Lagos Metropolitan Area using the mixed method approach. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaire from 109 randomly selected participants and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 9 purposively selected respondents and analysed using the thematic analysis technique. The study identified the earlier mention four(4) current quality Assessment Methods and Approaches Utilised by Building Contractors in Lagos State. The findings identified observation/ physical inspections were the most widely applied method of quality assessment while other method is review of records, Feedback and Sampling. The study concludes that developing a model for guiding the process of assessing quality among Lagos and Nigerian contractors. The model helps to standardize the processes of assessing quality within the Lagos construction industry.

An Examination of the Problems encountered in applying quality assessment system by Lagos State Building Contractors

The construction industry contributes 1% employment opportunities to Nigerians (Ding, 2008). According to the World Bank, an active industry should contribute at least 3.2% of the employment opportunities in the country. The aim of this study is to examine the problems encountered in applying quality assessment system in Lagos state. In order to realize this aim, the study examined challenges encountered by contractors..The study employed a descriptive case study design where data was collected from senior managers, project managers, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, and technical managers working with building construction companies in the Lagos Metropolitan Area using the mixed method approach. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaire from 109 randomly selected participants and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 9 purposively selected respondents and analysed using the thematic analysis technique. The study shows challenges encountered by Contractors to include: Lack of adequate resources, inadequate skills and expertise, Casual/ temporary nature of construction workforce, Internal resistance, Lack of flexibility in existing tools and approaches etc. The study concludes that the most significant challenge encountered by local contractors when it comes to quality assessment is the lack of adequate resources and the study also identified staff training and education, integration of information technology, and increased involvement of senior leaders as the most important issues that they would like their organization to improve so as to increase the effectiveness of the quality assessment process.

An Assessment of the Impact of Quality Assessment System on Building Projects in Lagos State, Nigeria

Quality practices focus on producing quality buildings in terms of aesthetics, durability, functionality, reduced cost and time completion of project. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of quality assessment system on building projects in Lagos state. In order to realize this aim, the study examined the impacts of quality assessment system on building project in the study area. The study employed a descriptive case study design where data was collected from senior managers, project managers, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, and technical managers working with building construction companies in the Lagos Metropolitan Area using the mixed method approach. Quantitative data was collected using questionnaire from 109 randomly selected participants and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with 9 purposively selected respondents and analysed using the thematic analysis technique. The study shows that quality assessment help us timely completion of construction projects within planned budget, improvement of the image of the firm Quality assessment as well as reduced project delivery time. The study concludes that the most visible impact of implementing quality assessment was an increase in customer satisfaction as conducting quality assessment reduces the number of customer complaints and helps the companies to reduce material wastage, increase confidence and team spirit among project workers, improve safety records, and enhance the image of the company. The quality assessment has a significant positive impact on project delivery in Lagos Nigeria.