AWARENESS AND UTILISATION OF COST OPTIMISATION STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCED DELIVERY OF BUILDING PROJECT PHASES IN SOUTH-SOUTH, NIGERIA

Purpose: Against the backdrop of increased cost failures and abandoned public building projects attributable to poor cost management in South-South Nigeria, this study aimed at providing an insight into the level of awareness and utilisation of cost optimization strategies at the planning, design, procurement and construction phases of building projects by construction professionals in the south-south zone of Nigeria. The knowledge and understanding of cost optimization strategies and their application is imperative in achieving cost performance thereby enhancing project delivery.

Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a survey design approach. Data were collected using structured questionnaire administered on 741 construction professionals across the state capitals of the south-south zone of Nigeria by the researcher and research assistants. Some questionnaires were administered through electronic format using google forms. This was achieved by sending a brief introductory letter to respondents through an email with a hyperlink (https://docs.google.com/form) of the survey created electronically. The construction professionals comprised of Architects, Builders, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers registered with their respective professional bodies. Having achieved the population frame of 1122, the sample size of 741 was determined using the Taro Yamane (1967) formula. 546 retrieved valid questionnaires were used for the analysis.

Findings: The findings from the study revealed that construction professionals in the study area were aware of most of the cost optimisation strategies identified at project phases, however, only about 45.68% of the strategies are utilised by construction professionals at the planning phase, 17.89% at the design phase, 43.57% at the procurement phase and 45.54% at the construction phase. The study also revealed that there was no significant correlation between the level of awareness and utilisation of cost optimization strategies at the planning, design and procurement phases, but a strong positive correlation exists between the level of awareness and utilisation of cost optimisation strategies at the construction phase of building projects.

Research limitations/Implications: The study was limited to public building projects in South-South States of Nigeria rather than the whole country, although the results of the study can be generalised to other parts of the country.

Practical implications: The research recommends that appropriate measures should be put in place by stakeholders in the building construction sector in order to improve the satisfactory utilisation of cost optimization strategies at project phases, thereby enhancing cost performance.

Originality/value: The study revealed the percentage level of awareness and utilisation of cost optimisation strategies at the planning, design, procurement and construction phases of public building projects in south-south, Nigeria. It also established the relationship between the level of awareness and utilisation of cost optimisation strategies at project phases.