Assessment of High Cost of Construction Projects in Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The construction industry has many features which set it apart from other industries and which accentuate the need for professional management (Bamisile, 2004). According to Oyegoke (2006), the construction project of the 21st century is becoming a more complex process that spans many phases, is technologically driven, has many stakeholders, involves new types of clients, finances and project organizations. This has resulted in changes in construction methods that affect the structure of the industry, the roles of the parties, and the procurement methods employed. Ibrahim (2003) identified that the construction process is divided into three phases; Project conception, Project design, and Project construction. Ibrahim (2003) went further by defining; Project conception is the recognition of a need that can be satisfied by a physical structure. The project design phase translates the primary concept into an expression of a spatial form that will satisfy the client’s requirements in an optimum economic manner. The construction phase creates the physical form that satisfies the conception and permits the realization of the design.
Bamisile (2004) opined that the professions in the construction industry are many and diverse in nature and thus he identified the following as the professionals involved in the industry: 1. Architects 2. Builders 3. Engineers- (Geotechnical, Structural, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical etc) 4. Estate Surveyors and Valuers 5. Quantity Surveyors 6. Surveyors 7. Town planners
Bamisile (2004) summarized the roles of these professionals as, planning, design, costing, production, management and general stability and serviceability of structures.
Cost has its proven importance as the prime factor for project success. It was against this backdrop that Oyegoke (2006) identified cost, scope, time and quality as the client expectation on a construction project. Thus cost can

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