President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Shonubi Olayemi, tells JOSEPHINE OGUNDEJI the challenges confronting the nation’s quantity survey industry, among other issues
What impact is the current economic situation in the country having on quantity surveying as a profession?
Shonubi noted that it has been a mixed grill on the one hand. There has been a decline in investment in the economy, and the construction sector as usual has suffered the brunt of this decline by virtue of being regarded as non-essential. However, on the other hand, this is the time our services are most required to ensure value for money for little that is available.
But unfortunately, most, even governments (federal, state, and local councils) as well as their agencies still don’t appreciate our services. Similarly, most private investors see the payment of fees to professionals as added costs that can be avoided to maximize profits. Hence, they don’t engage our services.
In addition, there is increasing demand for our services, particularly from discerning clients in areas of construction contracts adjudication, claims management, project monitoring, and due diligence.
Where does the quantity surveyor come into play considering the economic downturn and the need to get maximum value from infrastructure projects at this time?
A quantity surveyor is a construction professional trained to provide total cost and procurement management of capital projects – construction or infrastructure – from conception to commissioning and maintenance, in all sectors of the economy thereby ensuring value for money. Thus, a quantity surveyor has a vital role to play in prudent costing and management of projects, procurement planning and budget implementation, post-contract auditing, project management, and project cost monitoring in the construction industry.
It is significant to reiterate that for any project where costs and most especially, value for money, are of the essence, a quantity surveyor is inevitably required.
Given the prevalent economic downturn which has led to reduced financial resources being available for investment in infrastructure development, a new wave of opportunities has seemingly opened for quantity surveyors who, as construction cost experts, can advise on the type as well as the scale the available resources can be deployed to achieve optimum value.
The reason is not far-fetched, for instance, for any budget for development or an infrastructural project, you require someone who can advise you on the type and scale of the project the budget can cover before embarking on it. Only a registered quantity surveyor can provide you with such advice.
Many professionals in the built environment complain about foreign incursion. What has been the NIQS’ experience in this regard, and what is the way forward?
Shonubi added that they also suffer the effect of this incursion as oftentimes, foreign investors as well as transnationals when investing in new-builds or expanding their current facilities, choose to bring their consultants from their countries of origin who subsequently, engage middle and low-level staff members to run the construction phase having completed and concluded the pre-construction phase in their respective countries of origin.
It has been a tough task trying to enforce the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria Act which established a statutory body for the regulation of the quantity surveying practice in Nigeria. Unfortunately, most of these foreign firms do not have registered or known offices in Nigeria hence they are difficult to track where their offices are known.
The fact that some of our young ones are employed by them often has made it difficult to enforce any sanctions as these will inevitably affect the employment of the young quantity surveyors working for them.
Do you think the government has fully taken advantage of the inherent competencies of quantity surveyors by engaging them in critical infrastructural projects across the country?
No not at all and this is the main reason the costs of our infrastructural projects are always high as we, the quantity surveyors, who are trained to provide cost and value management on such projects are usually not consulted or engaged on the same.
Building collapse has for some time now remained a topical issue. How can quantity surveyors help to end this menace?
As earlier stated, by virtue of our training, we are custodians of construction costs and as a result, it is expected that any reasonable person who is embarking on a building project should first consult a quantity surveyor for advice on whether his budget for the project is adequate. If negative, he shall advise them on the alternative options available for the budget size.
This is very essential as it will prevent a situation where after commencing work on the project, it becomes obvious that the budget can’t cover the costs up to completion, leading to cost-cutting to the detriment of the stability, safety, and security of the project. This also has been one of the causes of frequent building collapses being experienced in the country.
There is a job description for professionals in the built environment but most times, there are incursions, especially in terms of cost. What is the regulating body doing about this?
It is my considered opinion that this is probably due to the desire for lucre because a quantity surveyor is the only construction professional specifically trained in the economics, cost, and financial management of construction and thus plays the role of the exchequer or gatekeeper for the promoters of a construction project/asset.
There is nothing wrong with being a multi-disciplinary professional if you are cut out for it as this will entail training and certifications in the various disciplines of interest. However, for any professional to seek to practice or put himself out as a practitioner of another discipline without the prescribed training and certification in that discipline is not only unethical and unconscionable but also highly unprofessional and such a person should be called out as a quack.
On our part, we are collaborating with our statutory regulatory body, the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria which is a body established by Decree No. 31 of 1986 (now CAP Q1, LFN 2004) and charged with the overall responsibility of regulating the practice of quantity surveying in Nigeria, to monitor the practice of quantity surveying on projects nationwide.
Recently, the joint committee of the NIQS and the QSRBN was set up in this regard to gather information on illegal practices among quantity surveyors and the like and recommend errant individuals for prosecution by the QSRBN in accordance with the said Act.
Aside from this, we have also embarked on advocacy visits to ministries, departments, and agencies at the federal, state and local government levels to enlighten them that only bills of quantities duly signed and sealed by registered quantity surveyors should be accepted and adopted for use for procurement of all projects as well as for the purpose of establishing the project costs that will ensure value for money.
In addition, we are also engaging private sector organisations as well as other professional bodies to enlighten them on the role and benefits of engaging a registered quantity surveyor on construction projects.
What do you consider the greatest challenge facing quantity surveying in Nigeria and what can be done about it?
The greatest challenge has been that being a late entrant into the Nigerian construction sector (the first Nigerian quantity surveyor was certified in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s).
Our roles as cost experts on construction and infrastructure projects were largely being performed by other professionals who have refused to yield despite the fact that we now have qualified and highly trained quantity surveyors for such roles. In addition, most clients, even private sector clients, do not understand what we do and hence hardly patronise our services until they have issues with their projects.
Do you still subscribe to the notion that owners of collapsed buildings involving the loss of lives should face capital punishment or have you changed your stance?
The suggestion was targeted at those who are found culpable by a competent court in the events leading to the collapse. Unfortunately, when I did, some professionals in the industry took umbrage at the suggestion and felt it was rather too draconian.
But then what about the families that have lost loved ones or may likely do so if drastic actions are not taken to arrest the situation? My suggestion was borne out of the need to stem the spate of building collapses. Since then, the country has witnessed more building collapses with the fatalities recently being the one in Abuja. Unfortunately, in most of the cases of building collapse that have occurred in this country, no action has ever been taken against the perpetrators while the families of those who died are left not only to mourn but also without their breadwinners.
What is your take on the national building code?
It is most unfortunate because the spate of building collapses all over the country can also be attributed to the non-promulgation of the national building code which is subscribed to by governments at all levels.
The national building code is meant to prescribe minimum standards for the construction of various building types to ensure that the developers not only engage qualified construction professionals to supervise developments from inception to completion but also use prescribed standards, quality as well as quantity of materials and components on their developments.
Upon promulgation, it is expected to be adopted by all the states or at least domesticated to suit their peculiarities. The implications for non-promulgation are grave for the industry especially as some of the work in the industry are being undertaken by expatriates who use codes from their native countries which are at variance with those in use by Nigerian construction professionals thus sometimes leading to confusion.
However, it is gladdening to note that some attempts are being made by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to see to its enactment while the Lagos State Government is also doing the same.
Last year, you said endemic corruption had affected adherence to professionalism. Can you expatiate on this?
I didn’t say endemic corruption has blinded adherence to professionalism, but that the desire for lucre and materialism by most professionals have made it difficult for most practitioners to adhere to professionalism. Unfortunately, it is not only those in construction alone. Every fabric of our nation is affected by this tendency and this is actually what continues to fuel the endemic corruption in the country.
Quackery is an incessant problem in the construction sector. How do you think it can be curbed?
The government has to empower the various professional regulatory bodies in the sector to undertake continuous certifications and effective monitoring of their licensees. A situation where most of the regulatory bodies are underfunded as most are not on the annual budget line is not helpful as they have been turned more or less into toothless bulldogs.
Most of them exist only in one location and can hardly pay their staff members’ emoluments, not to talk of having funds for monitoring the professional activities of their licensees or those who purport to have their licenses. This probably explains the reason for the cases of building collapses we have been experiencing in the country.
What implications do the increase in the cost of construction materials have on affordable housing?
They are rather grave as house prices are determined by the cost of land and construction costs. The increasing costs of materials will inevitably lead to an increase in the prices of houses thus putting them out of the reach of those that they are meant for or, to put it simply, making houses unaffordable.
Are the Nigerian government and the private sector meeting the best practices in public procurement?
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Source: PunchNG
