THE RELEVANCE AND SUITABILITY OF QUANTITY SURVEYING ACADEMIC RESEARCH TO THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY PROBLEMS

Abstract

Research conducted in quantity surveying by academics is designed to solve particular existing problems in the construction industry, with the expectation that the adoption of the research outputs would lead to the improvement of the competitive position and productivity of the industry. There are still concerns that this research does not inform practice to the extent that it should. This research therefore assessed the relevance and suitability of academic research in quantity surveying to the construction industry problems in Nigeria. To accomplish this, the study examined the key areas of quantity surveying academic research (QSAR), construction industry problems, the level of usage of QSAR, factors affecting its use in practice and, relevance and suitability of QSAR. Primary data were collected through survey by use of questionnaire and archival data through a schedule, a total of 54 out of 152 corporate members of Nigerian Institute of quantity surveyors in academics and practice, selected through stratified and purposive sampling techniques. The primary data collected was analyzed by means of severity index, mean item score, relative importance index while frequency distribution was employed to analyze and classify thesis titles collected from the libraries of public Universities offering quantity surveying and construction management. Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine if there was significant agreement in the perceptions of practitioners and academics on the research objectives. The study revealed that the porosity of tendering procedures, cost overrun of construction projects, untimely completion of construction works, incompetent & dishonest contractors and dearth of innovation due to lack of investment in research and development are the most severe construction industry problems. It also revealed that the entire identified industry problems are solvable by QSAR though the level of usage of QSAR in practice is very low. Poor record keeping of research by practitioners, absence of collaboration/ interaction between academics & practitioners and inadequate funding for QS research are the most significant factors affecting the use of QSAR in practice. Also, QS academic research outputs are relevant and suitable for the identified industry problems. Furthermore, the study showed that completed Masters and Doctoral theses have not been done in the area of computer literacy though few in economics of construction. Conclusively, QSAR is relevant and suitable for the problems in the construction industry. The study recommends that practitioners should endeavour to use research outputs for daily challenges in order to enhance the performance of the construction industry. Also, a symposium should be organized where both practitioners and academics come together to communicate individual’s needs for improvement.