Development is a difficult, painful and long-term enterprise. Not only because of world wide social and economic changes with extensive debts problems, inflation, recession and slow growth, but it is also a matter of finding the technically and economically optimum solution. Over the long-term, the challenge for developing countries is to use their limited resources more efficiently and more equitably through the management of all investment outlays in both the public and private sector. Construction is a major investment sector in Nigeria, attracting an average of over 60% of all capital investment, with over 70% of that 60% sponsored by the public sector. Construction projects handled by the public sector in developing countries are however fraught with problems, from inception through to completion and beyond. This is well known to members of the public sector agencies. Year after year, in good times and bad, development projects suffer from a host of problems: some of design; others of appraisal; and still others of implementation. Most construction projects are characterised by overruns in cost and time, and are sometimes halted altogether before completion. It is therefore necessary to understand the problems underlying the system being practised, to establish a realistic pattern, and to be able to interpret and correct any abnormalities. A lack of understanding of the constraints leads to unrealistic planning, and to later problems that may become insoluble. This research was therefore aimed at identifying these problems, many of which arise from attempts to implement a technology, in this case management technology, in a country other than the country of its origin. In a comparative study between Nigeria and Scotland a large number of public agencies which sponsor construction projects, and the contracting and consulting organisations that work for these agencies, were surveyed using both face-to-face interviews and the postal questionnaire technique. It was found that the major problems in Nigeria are: bureaucratic obstacles affecting timely payment to contractors; ambiguity in consultant/client contract agreements; lack of sufficient qualified professionals in the agencies; and lack of suitable information on which to base initial estimates. Recommendations for improving practice in Nigeria include: administrative reform of construction agencies to reduce the trammels of bureaucracy; a better system of funding by central Government; establishment of a construction cost information agency; and payment of competitive salaries to public sector professional staff. These changes, taking into account the cultural environment of Nigeria, should enable decisions to be made with greater certainty of outcome by all parties involved.

Thesis (Master of Construction in Construction Management)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / This study sought to determine the prevalence of non-value adding activities (NVAAs) associated with construction site management in Nigerian, utilising Lagos State as the case study. To pursue the study, the following objectives were formulated: (1) to identify the sources of NVAAs during construction projects; (2) to determine the causes of the occurrence of NVAAs; (3) to ascertain the effects of occurrence of NVAAs on management of personnel on construction sites; and (4) to develop techniques to mitigate the effect of NVAAs on construction projects. Relevant literature related to the matter under investigation was extensively reviewed. An exploratory study on non-value adding activities was conducted; the findings of which determined the focus of the study. This was achieved through a qualitative method where open-ended interviews were administered to purposively selected construction professionals including construction managers, site engineers, consulting engineers, and site managers who were based in Lagos. Additionally, observations of construction activities on site also provided the basis for the primary data collection to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors contributing to the occurrence of NVAAs on site. Three construction firms partook in the survey, and a total of eight construction professionals were interviewed. It was uncovered that improper planning of construction site activities – for example material management, site layout, and the competency of site personnel – came about to non-value adding activities, thereby confirming the situation of poor site execution within the construction industry. This exploration was limited to certain building construction locations in Lagos State, Nigeria. Accentuation was put on the evaluation of non-value adding activity (i.e. waste) related with site management in the construction industry amid the undertaking execution stage. The research was done to assist in creating a proper contribution to the perception of NVAA management measures by way of the application of significant principles that have been deserted, and also to fashion responsiveness for construction company workforces to determine factors that contribute to NVAAs with the goal that the level of waste can be decreased while simultaneously increasing productivity during construction. Suggestions regarding the reduction of NVAAs include the following: (1) Early identification of the root causes of NVAAs would certainly provide a useful information for project stakeholders to design a suitable containment strategy to minimise / prevent the occurrences of waste; (2) Conducting workshops for project team members on a regular basis concerning lean design management principle will also assist in reducing the incidence of NVAAs on site;

While wastage of materials has become a serious problem requiring urgent attention in the Nigerian Construction Industry, cost overrun is a problem, which affects 90 percent of the completed projects in the world; the argument on how to reduce/eliminate cost overrun has been on-going for the past 70 years; as the on-site wastage of materials leads to increases in the final project cost. Studies from different parts of the world have shown that construction-material waste represents a relatively large percentage of the production costs. Consequently, as a result of low levels of awareness, the Nigerian construction industry pays little attention to the effects of generated material waste on cost overruns. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the relationship between material waste and cost overrun in the Nigerian construction industry. A comprehensive review of the related literature revealed that all material waste causes are related to cost overrun causes at both pre-contract and post-contract stages of a project; but not vice versa. The mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) approach that is rooted in the positivist paradigm was adopted for this study. Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria was the selected geographical scope of this research, out of which thirty-one (31) construction projects were purposeful selected (projects to the value of 100 million Rand/1.6 billion Naira and above).The research instrument was an interview guide used in conjunction with a tick box. Other sources of data included field investigation (measurement of onsite material waste) and the collection of archival records from bills of quantities, project records, and specifications. Analyses of the findings lead to the conclusion that a relationship exists between material waste and cost overrun; at the pre-contract and at the post-contract stages of a project. The implication is that an increase in material wastage on-site leads to a corresponding increase in the amount of cost overrun, regardless of the percentage allowance for material waste in the process of bill preparation. The study also concluded that the average percentage contribution of material waste to project-cost overruns is four (4) percent. Material-waste sources, causes, and control measures were found to have significant effects (very high, high, medium, low, and very low), in causing or minimising cost overruns at both pre-contract and post-contract stages of projects. The research has developed a conceptual model for the management of material waste and cost overruns in the construction industry based on the results and informed by the theoretical framework. The research has also developed a mathematical model for quantifying the amount of material waste to be generated by a project; as well as a mathematical equation for the effective management of material waste and cost overrun for projects. The study has achieved its aim of establishing an understanding of the issues leading to the relationship between material waste and cost overruns, as well as their management in the Nigerian construction industry. The study recommends that the management of material waste and cost overrun should be revised, based on the findings of this research and included as part of the procurement process. The mathematical models for quantification of onsite material waste, and the mathematical equation for managing material waste and cost overruns developed in the study, could be usefully adopted to improve management of material waste and cost overrun in the Nigerian construction industry.