Journal of Construction Innovation and Cost Management

Performance of Quantity Surveying Firms Using the Strategic Learning Assessment Map (Slam) Framework

2025-08-27T21:56:08+00:00

Organizational learning is of vital importance to business organisations, due to its positive relationship with business performance. Because the performance of quantity surveying firms influences the outcome of construction projects, learning within the organization is essential. The purpose of the study is to assess the performance of quantity surveying firms using Strategic Learning Assessment Map (SLAM) framework. Using the SLAM framework, five constructs of organizational learning were examined and compared with performance measures. Cross-sectional survey approach was used for the administration of questionnaires to quantity surveyors who are employees in quantity surveying firms. The SLAM model was used to examine the knowledge stock-learning-flow-performance (KS-LF-P) in quantity surveying firms. Exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were then used to test the SLAM model. The findings indicate that there is a strong positive relationship between knowledge stocks, learning flows and the performance of quantity surveying firms; and the feed forward learning flow influence the level of individual performance in the organization. The findings demonstrate that facilitating learning at organizational level is valuable for improving performance.

Multi-Cultural Team Management Parameters and Dimensions for Indigenous Construction Firms in Lagos, Nigeria

2025-08-28T16:57:02+00:00

Research has established the relevance of leadership capability, team capability and firm structure and strategy in multi-cultural team management. However, studies on leadership, team capability, firm structure and strategy as parameters of multi-cultural team management in small and medium-sized construction firms have received little attention. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the dimensions of the core of capability development as multi- cultural team management parameters. These core dimensions are project leadership capability, team capability and firm’s structure and strategy. The objective of the study was achieved by conducting a field survey using convenience sampling technique. A Multi-Cultural Team Management Parameters’ (MCTMP) Questionnaire was developed and used to collect data for the study. Analysis was conducted using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that the respondents agreed with most of the dimensions of the three parameters of multi-cultural team management. The study concludes that creativity in designs/construction processes; periodic site meeting to monitor and review performances and clear roles and responsibilities are the top dimensions of leadership capability, organisational structure and strategy and team capability respectively. It was thus recommended that indigenous construction firms work on having good leadership that can identify the different parameters and dimensions to project and organisational management and devise means of instituting, reviewing and maintaining such to the advantage of the firm.

Performance measure of construction site managers on South-Western Nigeria

2025-08-28T17:28:52+00:00

Site management is a key occupational category in the construction industry. Extant literature has blamed construction site managers as contributing to time overrun due to errors in production management of construction projects. The purpose of this study is to determine predominant performance criteria and its influence on time performance. Using simple random sampling technique, seventy eight (78) respondents that responded to the research instrument were used for the study. The objectives of the study were resolved using mean item score and regression analysis. The findings indicate that most of the construction site managers were rated average on the identified performance criteria by their direct boss (contracts manager). Site managers’ scores identified time performance factors high in improving time performance. Identified performance criteria had a strong positive impact on time performance of construction projects. The study recommends among others, planned training to improve productivity, communication skills, work ethics and team building of construction site managers.

Quality Culture Implementation and Militating Factors in Construction Organisations in Nigeria

2025-08-28T18:01:03+00:00

Total Quality Management (TQM) has been proffered as a means to solving performance problem. Despite the benefits of TQM, construction stakeholders are yet to fully implement TQM and use the technique in resolving quality issues in Nigeria. Quality culture has been highlighted as key to TQM yet there is a dearth of research into quality culture in the Nigerian construction industry and thus the need to examine quality culture among construction organisations. The aim of the study is to assess the understanding of quality culture for proper implementation by identifying factors used in defining quality, assessing construction of stakeholders’ perception of quality as culture and the evaluation of prevalent barriers to quality culture implementation for the purpose of improved quality performance. Forty-one construction organisations comprising client, consulting and contracting organisations participated in a purposively selected sample. Mean score and analysis of variance test were used to understand the underlying quality culture being examined. The findings revealed that conformity to specification, customer satisfaction and elimination of defects are perceived to be quality culture criteria, while factors such as lack of standardisation , tendency to cure symptom rather than get to the root cause of a problem, are considered as the constraints. It is advocated that quality should be defined and embraced as a cultural phenomenon while project managers or business owners should embrace quality culture from perspectives of dealing with the problem rather than curing the symptoms syndrome.

Contractor Prequalification Criteria (CPC) use in Public Procurement Projects (PPPs) in Nigeria

2025-08-28T18:30:44+00:00

Contractor Selection Process is a tedious task for the Decision Makers (DMs) due to multiple criteria involved both at prequalification and tender evaluation stages. It becomes necessary to identify Contractor Prequalification Criteria (CPC) use for Public Procurement Projects in order to assist the Decision Makers (DMs). Thus, the purpose of the study is to assess the frequency of prequalification criteria use for Public Procurement Projects. Survey research design was used and the population comprises construction professionals and public clients organization. This study was carried out at Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was used and data were collected using questionnaires. A total of 373 questionnaires were distributed and 290 were used for the analysis. It gives a response rate of 78%. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the data using frequency, percentage, t-test and Spearman Rank correlation. The findings shown that current fixed asset, skill including professional technical expertise such as qualification with experience, past performance, provision of Health and Safety regulation and capacity of work handled presently were frequently used Contractor Prequalification Criteria (CPC) identified. There is also an agreement between public clients and consulting organisation on the frequency of use Contractor Prequalification Criteria (CPC). In conclusion, public clients and consulting organisation should use the same CPC for public procurement projects to ensure objective judgement of the criteria. The study recommended that current fixed asset, technical skill, past performance, capacity of contractor and provision of Health and Safety should be a yardstick for evaluating CPC

Enablers and Inhibitors of Prefabrication Construction for Housing: An Overview

2025-08-28T18:59:59+00:00

Prefabrication enablers and inhibitors in the housing construction sector differ over time and vary from country to country. To adopt this technology, awareness on current trends and the latest innovations should be increased by reviewing previous studies. The objective of this study is to conduct a revision of common enablers and inhibitors of prefabrication adoption, taking into consideration the experience gained and reported by several developing countries. The study captures common enablers and inhibitors of prefabrication in Nigeria, with 4 developing countries within the research, as very little literatures exists that identifies perceived factors that encourage the adoption of prefabrication, which are unique to the Nigeria housing construction industry. The study adopts a literature survey qualitative technique, with 24 current literature researches on prefabrication and its enabling and inhibiting factors towards implementation and adoption randomly selected and reviewed in order to capture, and analyse similar trends which cut across 4 identified developing countries located in Asia and Africa. Results showed that technical factors were predominantly the highest ranking factors that influenced the adoption or deterrent of prefabrication. Though other factors are important, further investigation on the technical factors and the development of strategies for eliminating inhibiting factors and improving on the enabling factors is required. Prefabrication enablers should be improved upon by continuously meeting clients’ needs and respond to the global, social and environmental challenges, thereby preparing grounds for organizations to find out ways of reducing the inhibitors and ensuring a smooth transition to prefabrication construction based project delivery

Construction Contractors’ Compliance to Health and Safety Insurance Policies in Lagos State

2025-08-30T11:25:49+00:00

Construction workers are continuously liable to health and safety issues which pose major problems and concerns to productivity in the construction industry. Despite availability of health and safety policies with specific insurance and risk management considerations; injuries, fatalities and death from construction related activities appear unabated, which suggests possible non-compliance of contractors to established health and safety regulations. This study examines contractors’ compliance to health and safety insurance policies in Lagos State, with a view to stemming high risks of hazard occurrence. Survey research design was adopted and data were collected using questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used for the analysis. Results show that there is a significant difference in the awareness of contractors on health and safety insurance policies for construction projects. Furthermore, results show that there is a significant difference in the level of compliance to Health and Safety policies between foreign/multi-national and indigenous construction firms. Based on these findings, it was recommended that there should be continuous enlightenment by the regulatory agencies on insurance policies to increase the level of awareness of contractors on health and safety insurance policies for construction project. Also, stakeholders in the industry should initiate modalities for monitoring contractors’ compliance to identified health and safety insurance policies in Lagos State, thereby fostering a high level compliance and also ensuring consistency in compliance.

Constraints of Nigeria Indigenous Construction Contractors (NICCS) In a Competitive Business Environment

2025-08-28T20:33:48+00:00

Nigeria Indigenous Construction Contractor (NICC) is facing a lot of constraints among which are the quest for survival and relevance in the Nigeria construction sector. Majority of high net-worth construction projects are awarded and executed by foreigners’ managed firms which constitute less than 5 percent of the total number of construction companies operating in Nigeria. This has put the NCCs into a precarious condition as the nation’s construction sector is completely monopolized by foreigners. However, the NICCs are the architects of their own misfortune as over the years, researchers have observed that the outputs of construction activities by NICCs fall below the expected quality standard required, as such, clients’ preference for foreigners’ managed construction companies. This study sets out to investigate the causes of these constraints and why NICCs are majorly predisposed to poor project performance. The study adopted the review of literatures as well as the use of questionnaire to elicit information from construction practitioners. The study identified 19 factors, ranked in order of importance on why clients prefer foreigners’ managed construction enterprise in Nigeria. Factor analysis was used to group these factors into 5 principal factors namely: poor monitoring, controlling and funding challenges, bankruptcy and cost overruns, technical issues, site organization and layout, and materials and construction methods. The findings of the study will assist in improving the competitiveness of NICCs, by so doing; reduce the cost of construction as the competition nest of performing contractors in Nigeria would be widened.

Macroeconomic Variables and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflows in the Nigerian Construction Sector

2025-08-28T20:51:22+00:00

The inconsistence of the macroeconomic variables performance and the low gross domestic savings can be attributed to the low infrastructure development in Nigeria. To reduce the problem of poor infrastructure development in Nigeria, capital must be mobilized from the high income countries to increase the present low gross domestic savings. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of macroeconomic variables on FDI inflows in the Nigerian construction sector. The methodology adopted for this study was an ex-post facto survey research because it was based on existing or secondary data. Annual time series data of the FDI inflows in the Nigerian construction sector, Foreign exchange rates, inflation rates, and interest rates were used. Archive materials from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), annual data from 1990 to 2016 were used for analysis. The variables for this study were tested for stationarity. The unit root test results revealed that the variables were non-stationary at levels but they attained stationarity at first difference. The regression analysis of Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method was used to analyse the data. The result revealed that exchange rate has positive impact but not significant. The result also indicated that interest rate and inflation rate have negative impact on FDI inflows but not significant respectively. Johansen Co-integrated test conducted revealed that there existed a long-run relationship among the variables in the study. The study also established from the Johansen Co-integrated test that FDI and construction sector is significantly co-integrated, indicating a valid relationship at 5%. The result from the OLS model indicated that causality that exists between FDI and the construction sector is bi-directional. Hence construction sector influence FDI inflows as well as FDI inflows influence construction sector in Nigeria. The causality between FDI and the construction sector should encourage policy decisions that will improve the FDI inflows, which by extension would translate to boosting the construction industry’s opportunity to meet infrastructure deficit.

Nigerian Construction Sector, Domestic Fixed Capital Formation and Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria

2025-08-28T21:02:38+00:00

Domestic Fixed Capital (DFC) is one of the most fundamental requirements for economic diversification. The slow growth of DFC has been identified as one of the most important challenges facing sub Saharan Africa. The study empirically examined the causal relationship between the Nigerian Construction Sector (NCS) output and Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) using Nigerian Time Series Data (TSD) from 1970 through 2013. The empirical investigation is carried out using vector error correction Model (VECM) framework. Data is sourced from United Nations Statistic Department (UNSD). The results of the co-integration test suggest the existence of a long-run relationship between the NCS, GFCF and GDP. The results show that the NCS positively causes GFCF and GDP growth. The finding implies that Nigeria can accelerate its GFCF and GDP growth by increasing investment in the NCS.