FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SELECTION OR PROCUREMENT METHODS FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN NIGERIA.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SELECTION OR PROCUREMENT METHODS FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background of the Study

The purchase of everyday items is relatively simple and usually involves some form of evaluation, selection and payment. However with the acquisition of a building or construction facility, there are significant factors associated with the choice of procurement method which will impact on the success of construction project (Office of Building and Development, 1997).

The procurement of construction project is vast in scope because it involves the gathering and organizing of separate individuals, firms and companies to design manage and build a project for specific clients. Procurement comes from the word procure which literally means to “obtain by care or effort; to bring about and to acquire”. System is about “organized method, approach, technique, process or procedure” (Rosli, Ismail, Asrul, Zainab Wan & Wan, 2006). In this context, procurement system or method can be said to be the management of the total process involved in the construction project delivery i.e. the management of design and production from inception to completion (Ogunsanmi and Bamisile, 1997).

Onwusonye (2007) refers to project procurement as a subset of project life and that which represents the overall methods used by a client and/or representatives to arrive at a tender figure and other operations towards the selection of a contractor to deliver a project at an agreed time and other conditions. Therefore, it determines the overall framework and structure of responsibilities and authorities for participants within the building process thus, a key factor contributing to overall client satisfaction and project success (Love, Skitmore & Earl, 1998). The selection of the most appropriate procurement method is consequently critical for both clients and project participants, and is becoming an important and contemporary issue within the construction industry (SC Quantity Surveyors, 2012).

Since procurement of construction projects cannot be excused from any facet of life whether as individuals, organizations, government at all levels or governmental parastatals and the method used is a key factor that determines project success and satisfaction of both client and other contracting parties, it therefore becomes imperative to evaluate the factors affecting the selection of a procurement method with a view to establishing a simple set of