Assessment of factors inhibiting engagement of quantity surveyors on private residential building projects in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria Open Access

The need for stricter measures to keep construction cost under control is becoming more intense in the 21st century than ever (Olatunde et al. 2017). This urgency in stringent cost management is imperative as construction projects tend to be more complex with client requirements becoming more advanced. The fact that economic resources have become more scarcer, the huge financial resources required to carry out building project and increasing demand on accountability and transparency by the clients are other reasons for more efficient and effective construction cost management (Olanrewaju and Anahve, 2015; Olatunde and Alao, 2017). Construction cost management and cost control is one of the several functions a quantity surveyor performs on a construction project (The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, 2012; Ashworth et al., 2013). This function entails the use of techniques, training and experience by quantity surveyor in achieving value for money for a client with important construction project (building, engineering, petro-chemical and heavy engineering), as well as achieving a balance spread of expenditure between the various elements of the building to ensure that the construction cost is kept within the client budget (Yuann, 2015). Studies have affirmed that the issue of poor cost management is not peculiar to developing nations (Yuann, 2015; Olatunde and Alao, 2017).

Oyediran (2011), corroborated by Ogunsemi et al. (2013), opined that quantity surveying is a knowledge-based profession that deal with the problem of cost and cost management for a client that have an important construction project from inception to completion. According to Olanrewaju and Anahve (2015) quantity surveying entails process and procedure involves in construction cost management, contract administration and procurement in the construction value chain. From these definitions therefore, a QS can be described as a professional that have the required training, knowledge, skills, experience and professional certification to deal with problem of construction cost, construction procurement and contract administration (Badu and Amoah, 2004; Olanrewaju and Anahve, 2015).

On it path, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity surveyors (2004) (NIQS) described a QS as an expert, professionally tutored and experienced in solving problems relating to construction cost, construction management and construction communication on building, civil or heavy engineering project. With the ultimate goal of solving problem of construction cost, QS also perform several other functions on a construction project. Some of such functions include; advice on cost implications of the clients’ requirements and other stakeholders’ decisions, continuous monitoring and update initial estimates and contractual obligations (Olanrewaju and Anahve, 2015), measurement and valuation of variation, preparation of final account, advice on contractual matters, project planning and scheduling (Ashworth et al., 2013), preparing and agreeing on the valuation of the work completed by the contractor and sub-contractors at the interim period stated in the contract and preparing the necessary tender document, including Bill of Quantities (BoQ) and arranging the necessary contracting formats with the successful contractor (Adegoke and Olatunde, 2016). The profession of quantity surveying was legalized in Nigeria by Decree No. 31 of 1986 and set up a regulatory frame work for it practice and regulation through the establishment of the Quantity Surveying Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN).

The professionals in the built environment are detailed to work in synergy to ensure successful delivery of construction projects. These professionals include; land surveyor, architect, structural engineer, services engineer, builder and quantity surveyor (Olawumi and Ayegun, 2016). When the project is of complex scope, other professional like project manager, acoustic engineer, etc. may be involved. The land surveyor provides boundary and demarcation of the site, as well as the site topography. The architect is trained in design space utilisation for project functionality (Olawumi and Ayegun, 2016). His role is majorly to translate client’s ideas into working plans and specifications which guide the construction worker in the building project (Adegoke and Olatunde, 2016). The function required of civil/structural engineer on a project is to provide structural designs to ensure stability and rigidity of the building, while the services engineer provide service design such as electrical and mechanical (Adegoke and Olatunde, 2016; Olatunde et al. 2017). The QS on the other hand, evaluate the other professionals’ designs and decisions in monetary terms (Towey, 2012). Hence, the role of QS is one of the major professions in delivery of construction projects (Yogeshwaran, et al., 2018). Considering the importance of QS to the delivery of construction projects, studies have advocated for involvement of QS on construction projects from the pre-contract stage until the project is successfully discharged (Dada and Jagboro, 2012; Rathnayake et al., 2022)

There is dearth of research on inhibitors to engagement of QS on residential building projects in the study area. Olanrewaju and Anahve (2015) assessed duties and responsibilities of QS in the procurement of building services engineering and found that QS were fully involved in the procurement of building services. Oke and Gbadura (2010) appraised project management leadership styles of Nigerian quantity surveyors and found that the Nigerian QS are autocratic when Jerrell/Slevin measuring instrument was used but found them to be task oriented in execution of their duties based on the opinion of other construction professionals. Ebekozien et al. (2021) assessed Quantity surveyor’s ethical responsiveness on construction projects and found that economic, societal and professional issues are the main barriers that hindered QS’s ethical responsiveness on construction projects in Nigeria. Rathnayake et al. (2022) evaluated the role of QSs for the success of small-scale construction projects in Sri Lanka and found that obtaining the QS services from nonprofessionals at reduced cost was the main barrier to involvement of QS in small-scale construction project in Sri Lanka.

From the forgoing, it is evident that the importance of QS in dealing with problem of construction administration and cost management is imperative. However, personal experience validated in literature (Weerakoon et al., 2020) has shown that many residential buildings are constructed without the involvement of QS. Weerakoon et al. (2020) further opined that for the improved performance of such projects QS need to be involved in their execution. The question then arises; why were not QR involved in these projects? The objective seeks to be addressed by the study was to assess inhibitors to engagement of QS on residential building projects in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The motivation for the study arose from the perceived prevalent of non-engagement of QS on residential building projects in the study area. As such, the researchers considered it a worthy venture to unearth in empirical term the factors responsible for non-engagement of QS on residential building projects in the study area. The information supplied by the study would be of value to construction clients, QS, the NIQS, the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) and other built environment professionals.

Irrespective of the nomenclature used to tag the profession based on the country and continent concern, Quantity Surveyor as used in the UK, Australia and British colonized countries like Nigeria, Cost Engineer as use in the USA, and Estimator, Cost Economists or Cost Consultant as use in some other countries (Shafiei and Said, 2008; Olanrewaju and Anahve, 2015; Ohene et al., 2019) are primarily concern with cost management of construction works. The profession of quantity surveying originated from England in the mid-17th century (Ashworth et al., 2013). Opawole et al. (2012) opined that the quantity surveying profession majorly developed over the 19th century. However, Said et al. (2014) opined that the origins of QS could be traced back to the ancient Egyptian civilization when a separate professional was assigned to cost and estimate for large buildings works. It is worthy of note that before the evolution of the term Quantity Surveyor in Britain, different terms such as measurer, custom surveyor or surveyor were used at different times to describe the professional now known as quantity surveyor. The internationally most recognized umbrella association for the practice of Quantity surveying is the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). In Nigeria, the profession of Quantity Surveying is practice under the umbrella association of the NIQS- regulated by the QSRBN established by decree 31 of 1986 (Ogunsemi et al., 2013).

Conventionally, QS are primarily engage to prepare BoQ, cost planning and cost control, procurement, estimating, measurement of construction works and contract management of building construction works (Smith, 2005; Lee et al., 2011). QS provide advice on the strategic planning of construction projects. This advice influences clients’ decisions on whether to construct or not, and in a situation where the client decides to construct, the QS advice gives information on what effect the construction cost have on other criteria within the clients/users value systems such as time and quality, function, satisfactions, comfort and esthetics. Monyane and Ramabodu (2014) posited that the main functions of QS on construction projects include; estimating and cost advice, property development advice, advice on tendering procedures and contractual arrangement, financial control over contracts, valuation of work in progress, cash flow budgets and Final account in respect of the contracts.

In the recent years, studies have found that QS have competencies in and actually offer financial management services in petro-chemical, manufacturing, mining, aeronautical, shipping, transport and civil sectors (Smith, 2005; Olanrewaju and Anahve, 2015; Chandramohan et al., 2020). More studies have shown that modern QS are now performing non- traditional functions. These include; arbitration/mediation, value management, quality management, expert witness/appraisal, risk management, facility management, feasibility studies, life cost analyze, project/construction management, taxation advice, etc (Wao and Flood, 2016; Ashworth et al., 2013). Olanrewaju and Anahve (2015) opined that the function perform by contemporary QS are beyond the scope of the traditional QSs. QS are now involve in strategic planning of projects which provides relevant information to client on whether to build or not and the competiveness of construction cost when they decide to build. Sonson, and Kulatunga (2014) asserted that the non-conventional functions performed by 21st century QS included building information modeling management, whole-life costing assessment and project sustainability reporting. This notwithstanding, Opawole et al. (2012) opined that the involvement of QS in heavy and civil engineering in Nigeria is sub-optimum in comparison to their counterparts in the UK. Even though the study acknowledged the full involvement of QS on building construction projects compared to engineering projects, their engagement on private residential building project is still abysmally low (Weerakoon et al., 2020) and this provided a research gap in literature.

To improve productivity and reduce unnecessary use of resources, the profession of Quantity Surveying requires a close integration with modern technologies (Awodele et al., 2024; Ahmed et al., 2020). Lately, there has been an increased desire for QS to integrate digital technology (DT) into their daily operations. From the initial estimation of quantities until the last stage of completing the financial account. The implementation of DT is anticipated to bring advantages to all aspects of quantity surveying responsibilities. It is widely recognized that the conventional quantity surveying service is no longer capable of producing the anticipated results (Weerasooriya et al., 2024). Therefore, it is imperative for every quantity surveyor to acknowledge and address these problems (Eze et al., 2017). QS, who are experts in construction cost, are expected to enhance their skills by utilizing the advantages that the implementation of DT will provide in residential projects. The reason for this is that the majority of contract documents that they will be working with is now accessible through 3D models and advanced platforms that are backed and powered by novel technologies (Awodele et al., 2023). For example, According to Chamikara et al. (2020), QS in Sri Lanka should prioritize the successful implementation of sustainable construction in key areas including construction technology and environmental services, computer literacy, ethics and professional practice, leadership and management and measurement and costing. Omotayo et al. (2023) argue that there is a shortage of QS who have experience in sustainable construction. The study suggests that the quantity surveying profession should undergo reskilling in green costing and carbon cost planning to address the requirements of sustainable construction.

In addition, it has been observed that there is a deficiency in the incorporation of sustainable construction skills into quantity surveying education, research and training. In Australia, Lim et al. (2019) observed that there is a lack of sustainable measuring tools and experienced individuals, particularly QS, in the construction industry. Additionally, QS have limitations in their understanding and use of life cycle costing in relation to sustainable construction. Weerasooriya et al. (2024) conducted a study to examine how QS can adapt to cyber-physical systems (CPS). They evaluated existing literature to identify the factors that permit or hinder CPS adoption in the construction sector, as well as the techniques that can help QS in their function. The study contended that enhancing the function of QS through the use of CPS is crucial for achieving a competitive advantage in the construction industry. The research findings indicate that using the suggested technologies of CPS would not only optimize the conventional operations but also facilitate the collection of real-time data.

Extant literature has established poor performance of small- scale construction projects such as residential building project (Niazi, and Painting, 2017; Weerakoon, et al., 2020), yet the engagement/involvement of QS on such projects is abysmally low (Rathnayake et al., 2022). As such there is a correlation between the involvement of QSs and performance of such projects (Rathnayake et al., 2022). Research in developed country has affirmed that QSs applied their expertise, knowledge and skill to satisfy their clients in management of construction project cost and contract administration, thereby making the QSs a major partner in wealth creation and prosperity of the nations (Sonia, 2005). Sonia (2005) further opined that the services provided by QSs on construction project are intangible but very valuable. While many clients appreciate tangible output like the work of contractor or builder, the intangible services provided by the QS will determine to a large extent whether the project will be delivered to satisfaction of all the stakeholders involve in the execution of such project (Olatunde and Odeyinka, 2021). Ashworth et al. (2013) discussed the centrality of QS in the decision-making process as well as the essentiality of his function in ensuring value for money on construction projects from inception to completion. Olawumi and Ayegun (2016) in describing scope and involvement of QS in the construction industry alluded that QS’s scope of work covers residential, commercial, industrial, leisure, agricultural and heavy engineering works of new projects as well as refurbishment, extension, maintenance and demolition of an old facility.

The study by Bremer et al. (2019) identified inadequate awareness about the roles of QS on the part of clients of residential construction project as a major barrier to engagement of QS on small construction projects. Another barrier to the engagement of QS on small-scale projects according to Visser (2009) is the erroneous belief that QS services are only require on mega or large-scale projects and that their involvement in residential or small-scale project in not required. The study further posited that the erroneous assumption that the QS professional fee is often high is another inhibitor to their engagement on small-scale projects. Although, Dasanayaka (2019) identified that many challenges that necessitated for the service of QS on large-scale projects could be seen to affect residential project also. Such problems include procurement and cash flow management issues, yet the engagement of QS on such projects is low (Weerakoon et al., 2020). The lack of awareness and adequate information on the roles, services and QS fees on the part of clients of small-scale project has also be identified as another barrier to the engament of QS on residential building projects (Visser, 2009; Rathnayake et al., 2022).

The study used a qualitative research approach to assess the factors inhibiting engagement of QS on private residential building projects in Nigeria. The choice of qualitative approach was considered more appropriate than quantitative approach as the former helps to get to the root of the phenomenon being investigated as opposed to superiority in numerical measure that characterize the quantitative approach (Safman and Sobal, 2004; Flick, 2014). Convenient sampling method was used to select 20 on-going residential building construction projects for the study in the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The use of non-probability sampling for the study was considered adequate since the information required could be gotten from a group of the target population without necessarily considering the entire universe of the population as this would be more time consuming and economically beyond the researchers. The need for depth of the research findings rather than generalization of findings in qualitative research has been upheld by previous studies (Leedy and Ormrod, 2010; Flick, 2014). The generalization of the results of this study was limited due to the small sample size, which only included a town (Ado-Ekiti) within a State. This aligns with the assumptions of qualitative research, which do not allow for the direct application of the results to other locations. However, the study did provide detailed answers to the research problem within the specific study area. Another constraint of the study is the variation in building construction approval processes across different states and nations. This variation may potentially impact the results in other states or countries. The choice of the GRA was to ensure that the client are knowledgeable enough to understand the intent of the researchers and be able to answer questions posted to them in English Language as researches (Adeniyi et al., 2023) have shown that the majority of Landlords in GRAs are literate and many of them are civil servants and politicians.

The main criteria that qualified the selected projects were that their approximate estimated completion cost (by the researchers’ assessment) should not be less than twenty million Naira (30 thousand US Dollar) and that the project did not have QS as consultant on the projects. The main attraction for the choice of the research area was the perceived prevalence of non-engagement of QS on majority of residential building projects surveyed during the preliminary survey. In the same vein, another motivation for the choice of the study area was its proximity to the researchers as this will enhance ease of data collection. A structure interview protocol was designed for data collection from the client and the architect of each project. The need to interview the clients of the selected projects emanated from the assertion of RICS that “quantity surveying is very much a client led profession in that the professional quantity surveyors respond to client needs” (RICS, 1971). From this statement, the researchers are convinced that the answers to the research question could be found from the client- hence the need to interview them. Further to this, the architect that design each of the sampled project needs to be interviewed to corroborate the opinion of the client since they are the first point of call by the client when the need to build arises. As such, seeking the opinion of client and the architect will enhance a balance view both from the built environment professional (architects) and the non- built environment professionals (clients).

The interview protocol was segmented into three sections- background of the interviewees, project characteristics and questions relating to the objective of the study. From the 40 interviews (20 clients and 20 architects) that the study designed to conduct, only 28 were eventually successful. The decision to proceed with the 28 interviews was justified by the assertion of Flick (2014) that a qualitative research approach can produce an informed scientific result with the opinion of minimum of three participants. The interviews were conducted at the convenience of the interviewees. While majority (54%) of the interviews was conducted on the site with physical contact, 29% were conducted at the various offices of the clients and architects and only 17% were conducted through phone, WhatsApp and Zoom meetings. The anonymity of each interviewee was guaranteed and the voluntary of participation was assured before the interviews were conducted. Each of the interviews was recorded on Android phone. The interviews were conducted between December, 2022 and March, 2023. The duration of the interviews ranges between 35 and 57 min.

The analysis of background of the interviewees and project characteristics were done with the use of descriptive analysis (frequency and percentage). The analysis of data relating to the main objective of the study was undertaken through the use of manual inductive method of content analysis. The thematic approach for analyzing qualitative research suggested by Petrona (2019) was followed. The first step was getting familiar with the data by listening to the recorded data several times, this helps to identify the pertinent information, the data were then coded into different themes and coherent groups to answer the main question which is addressed in the interviews and this then follows by searching for themes. The final step was interpretation and reporting results: In this step, the data were transformed into meaningful sets of findings and all categories emerged into a complete analysis of the issue. The thematic issues that emanated from the content analysis of responses of the interviewees are discussed below.).

To enhance reliability and validity of data, both the recorded and the transcribed version of the interviews were sent to the interviewees who confirmed that their voice were properly captured and adequately transcribed. This follows an approach used by similar studies (Olatunde et al., 2022; Olatunde and Fawale, 2020).

Table 1 shows the attributes of the interviewees. The educational qualifications of the interviewees cut across the entire major educational levels for the interviewees to understand the intent of the researchers and be able to answer the questions posted to them in English language. The majority (53.58%) of the interviewees were holders of Masters Certificates in their various educational discipline, while the minority (7.14%) were holders of PHD and PGD. Fifty percent of the interviewees were architects, while the client are of different profession and trades. All the interviewees have a considerable experience in building project execution. While the majority (53.58%) have executed between 1 and 5 building projects (this group are majorly clients), the interviewed architects have more experience in project execution as they have handled more number of projects. This result is expected as the architects are built environment professionals as such they are expected to have better experience in project execution than client who only have project execution experience when they have personal projects. The attributes of the interviewees as per their educational qualifications and project execution experience indicated that they are eminently qualified to supply the information required of them and the information they supply can be relied on.

Table 2 indicates the characteristics of the sample projects. The entire building projects sampled for data collection were residential buildings. 28.57% of the sampled projects were three-bedroom bungalow and five-bedroom duplex each, while 21.43% were four-bedroom duplex and row of two bedroom bungalow each. The estimated work executed at the time of interviews ranges between 41 and 90%. While 28.58% are between 41 and 50% completion, 21.43% each was between 51 and 60% and 81 and 90% completion. The minimum estimate construction sum of the sample project was 20 Million Naira. While the estimated construction sum of 28.58% of the sampled buildings ranges between 20 and 25 Million Naira, 35.71% was between 26 and 30 Million Naira and the remaining 35.71% were more than 30 million Naira in estimated construction sum. As such, the characteristics of the sampled projects indicated that they were not small projects as per their estimated construction sum to warrant the engagement of QS on them.

In a bid to unearth the inhibitors to the engagement of QS on residential building projects, the researchers inquired from the interviewees what they considered as major barriers why they did not engage the service of QS in the construction of the sampled projects, and the following theme emanated (Table 3).

In response to the question posted, majority (79%) of the interviewees opined that they do not have sufficient awareness about the benefits inherent in the engagement of QS on small projects; as such they were not motivated to engage them. To many of the interviewees, it appears that the professional services offered by the QS are novel to them. This is evident in their responses as they opined that they were not aware of the services QS can provide for them on the projects. For instance, a client (CL7) said, “I doubt I have enough information on the benefits that the engagement of QS can offer me on project of this nature. I only know about the services offered by the land Surveyor, Architect and Engineer”. In the word of another client (CL11), “I think the first and major barrier to non-engagement of QS on this project is lack of awareness of the services offered by them. If I may ask you Mr Researcher, is QS different from land surveyor? If yes, what do they do?”

The response of another interviewee- an Architect (ARC5) also pointed to the fact that clients of residential building projects in the study area do not have sufficient awareness about the functions of QS. He said:

You can see from such request. It is evident that such request could only come from a client that cannot differentiate the function of an architect and that of the QS. The opinion of another Architect (ARC 9) is instructive to deduce that many private residential building projects clients do not have enough awareness about the functions of QS in the construction industry. In her words “the first and the main inhibitor to the engagement of QS on private residential building projects to me is that of awareness. My interaction with many clients (especially client of small projects) indicated that several of need more orientation and sensitization on who a QS is and what he can offer the construction industry”. It was evident from all these responses that one of the main barriers to the engagement of QS on private residential building projects is insufficient awareness about the roles and functions of QS in the construction industry.

Another inhibitor to the engagement of QS on private residential building as indicated by the opinion of many (68%) of the interviewees were; the perception that engagement of Quantity Surveyor will increase the construction cost. One of the interviewees – client 3 (CL3), opined that:

I just applied a logical reasoning that the more professional I engaged the more the money I have to pay. Then, it is incumbent on me to reduce the professionals that I will engage for professional service, so as to reduce cost. The response of another interviewee- client 13 (CL 13) was informative. He posited that “When it comes to management of cost on project like this, I think I can help myself in that instead of engaging the services of QS to manage construction cost for me, my trait and the type of business I do position me to be able to negotiate and get a good deal for every work I need to do. Therefore, I can make some savings both in negotiation and payment of professional service”. The response of another interviewee- an Architect (ARC 11) also pointed to the fact that many clients of private residential building projects do not engage QS on their project just to minimize cost. He opined that:

Another Architect (ARC 14) in his response posited that:

It is evident from these responses that consideration to reduce construction cost is a major inhibitor to engagement of QS by clients of private residential building projects.

In the opinion of 61% of the interviewees, lack of enabling legislation to mandate the engagement of QS on building projects is an important inhibitor to their engagement on small projects. In the word of an interviewee- client 4(CL4), “as far as I know, the need to engage QS on any project is voluntary, this means that unlike some other professions in the built environment that are mandatory to be engaged for a specific service, there is no regulation that compel prospective client to engagement QS for any deliverable on construction project. Let us look at it from this angle, take for instance, you cannot talk about approval of building project without boundary survey signed and seal by a qualified Land Surveyor. In the same way, no approving authority will give you building permission approval without the seal and signature of a registered architect on the building plan. The implication is that each of these professional has a specific deliverable recognized by law, which is absent for QS. As such their engagement is voluntary and often time considered not important by many clients.” Another interviewee- Architect (ARC 9) opined that:

Another Architect (ARC11) pointed the accusing finger for absence of law mandating the engagement of QS on building project on the professional association of QS. He said that “to me I think that the National Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) is not alive to their responsibility in lobbying policymaker to promulgate laws that will compel prospective building client to engage QS for certain deliverable that are recognized by the law, hence it will not/be a matter of choice to engage QS on building project but a matter of compulsion by law. The truth is that until when the engagement of QS on building project is made compulsory like their counterpart such as Architect and land surveyors at least to produce a document recognized and backed by low, their engagement will continue to be abysmally low on building projects .”

In the opinion of 57%, the main function of QS in providing cost management service on construction projects are been usurped by other construction professionals in the built environment. The response of one of the interviewees- a client (CL5) is revealing, he stated that “in my experience, I believe that the cost management function that should be the exclusive of Quantity Surveyors is no longer so. You will experience a situation where other professionals will tell you they are providing all- inclusive services as such; you do not need other professionals once you engage them. The implication of such is that, the service that supposed to be provided by Quantity Surveyors will be provided by an architect or other professionals as the case may be.” In the response of another interviewee- ARC 11, he opined that “the non-engagement of QS on residential projects cannot be totally detached from the usurpation of roles from non -professionals or quacks.”

In the response of 54% of the interviewees, the perception that engagement of QS is essential only in big projects is another factor that inhibits the engagement of QS on residential building projects in the study area. In the words of CL6, “I don’t think it is necessary to engage Quantity Surveyor on project of this nature. I always think that engagement of QS is only essential on big projects. Moreover, I don’t think I cannot manage the issues of cost in this project for me to engage the service of another professional for the service. To me, I believe that non-engagement of professionals where I can avoid them is a way of saving cost on the project. Although, I know that engagement of professional in certain instances such as big projects or complex construction may be essential, but the construction of just a unit of residential duplex like this may not be necessary.” Another Architect (ARC 8) stated that “in my experience, many of our clients think engagement of professionals is only required in big projects. They only engage professionals in small projects when they are compel by law. The point many of them fail to realize is that when a professional Quantity Surveyor is engage on a project, he will always bring to bear his expertise in ensuring value for cost for the client. Another point that many of our clients do not know is that they will only pay the professionals to the extent of service rendered whether on big or small projects. In many instances, when you encourage our clients to engage QS in projects of this size their responses has always being in the negative commenting the size of project do not warrant them to engage professional cost manager.”

The study has presented major inhibitors to engagement of QS on residential building projects has mentioned by majority of the interviewees in the study area. There are having not been many previous studies that examined inhibitors to engagement of QS on private residential buildings as such comparison is limited. Whereas, Rathnayake et al. (2022) found obtaining services from nonprofessionals at low cost, contractor’s cash flow issues, client’s less awareness about the Quantity Surveyor’s roles in the construction projects, client’s less awareness about the Quantity Surveyor’s fees and lack of legal influence to obtain services from nonprofessionals as barriers to involvement of QS on small scale projects in Sri-Lanka, this study found that lack of awareness of the benefit inherent in engagement of QS on residential projects, the perception that engagement of Quantity Surveyor will increase the construction cost, absence of legislation that mandate engagement of QS, usurpation of Quantity Surveyor’s roles by other professionals’ and the perception that engagement of QS is essential only in big projects as major inhibitors to the engagement of QS on residential projects in Nigeria.

Unlike Rathnayake et al. (2022) who found that obtaining quantity surveying services from nonprofessionals at low cost as the most prevalent factor inhibiting the engagement of QS on small scale projects in Sri- Lanker, this study found that lack of awareness of the benefits inherent in engagement of QS on residential projects as the most prevalent factor inhibiting engagement of QS in Nigeria. It is surprising however, that even though the NIQS has been in existence for more than five decade, her programs in creating awareness and orientation to the populace on the services that QSs provide has not been sufficient enough to provide the needed awareness about the benefits inherent in engaging QSs on private residential projects. While Rathnayake et al. (2022) found Contractor’s cash flow issues to be an important factor inhibiting engagement of QS on small scale projects in Sri-Lanker, interviewees in this study did not mention the issue of contractor cash flow as a major factor inhibiting the engagement of QS on private residential building in Nigeria.

This study, unlike Weerakoon, et al. (2020) which found a poor quantity surveying practices in small-scale construction projects as a major factor that affect the performance of such projects, this study did not find any alignment with such position within the study area. Another finding of this study that there is lack of awareness of the benefits inherent in engagement of QS on residential projects could be compared to be in tandem with Bremer, et al. (2019) which found that client of small-scale projects are unaware about the service and fees of the QS. The finding of the study that the engagement of QS is essential only in big projects could also be compared to be in agreement with Visser (2009) which found that clients are erroneously assuming that Quantity Surveyor fees is too high and believed that QS services are only needed for large projects. In comparing the findings of this study with the extant literature, it appears that the factors that inhibit the engagement of QS on small–scale/private residential projects are locational inclined as obvious difference could be seen from the findings of this study as compared to other studies in different location. Although, the issue of low awareness about the services and fee of QS is a common inhibitor in every location in which the study has been conducted.

The study adopted a qualitative research approach to investigate the factors inhibiting the engagement of QS on private residential building projects in Ekiti State, Nigeria. This was with a view to advocate for increase engagement of QS on private residential building projects in the study area which would ultimately enhance performance of such projects. The study achieved the set objective for the research as five factors inhibiting the engagement of QS on private residential building projects in the study area was identified. As indicated from the findings of the study, it was concluded that the major inhibitors to the engagement of QS in the study were: lack of awareness of the benefits inherent in engagement of QS on residential building projects, the perception that engagement of QS will increase the construction cost in term of professional fee, absence of legislation that mandate engagement of QS, usurpation of Quantity Surveyor’s roles by other professionals and the perception that engagement of QS is essential only on big projects.

Inferring from these conclusions, the study recommended that every state chapter of the NIQS should start a series of awareness campaign program within their State to enlighten the populace on the services that a professional QS can offer them with emphasis on the benefits of engaging QS on the small scale projects such as residential building projects. It was also recommended that the populace should be orientated about the scale of professional fee for QS with emphasis on the fact that the QS will be paid from the savings he makes for the client rather than the erroneous believe that their engagement will increase the construction cost. The study further recommended that as a matter of policy and requirement for building approval criteria, deliverables from QS should be made compulsory. This measure will help every potential residential client to see QS as an important professional that must be engaged before their project can be successfully delivered.it was finally recommended that the QSRBN should be more proactive in discharging her regulatory function for the provision of quantity surveying service in Nigeria by promptly apprehend quacks in the provision QS services in Nigeria. The study contributed to the body of knowledge in identifying factors inhibiting the engagement of QS in the study area and made the necessary recommendation that could engendered improved project performance in the study area.

The limitations to generalization of the results of this study included the fact that the sample size for the study was limited to a town (Ado-Ekiti) within a State, this in line with assumption for a qualitative research approach do not give express room for generalization of results in other climes, but rather, provided an in-depth answers to the research problem in the study area. Another limitation for the study lie in the fact that building construction approval varies from state to state and country to country, as such this may have influence on the result in other states or countries. More research could be conducted in other regions of the country so as to engender comparison of result. Another study could be instituted that would adopt a quantitative research approach and use a wider study area for data collection that could engender generalization of results.

Authors expressed special thanks to the Durban University of Technology South Africa for the postdoctoral fellowship award.