The Need for Professionalism and Competencies in the Construction Industry

Abstract

The quantity surveyors, in the present day construction industry, through his skills and ability analyze cost components of a construction project in a scientific way and apply the results of his analysis to a variety of financial and economic problems confronting the developer and the designer. The wide array of quantity surveyors’ responsibilities means that they have to be educated, trained, and highly skilled in diverse subjects. However, competence, in any sphere of work, can be a difficult concept to pin down especially when it relates to professional occupations where such roles can be complex, and the knowledge and skills involved many and varied professionals. This paper aims to investigate the competencies of quantity surveyors in the process of discharging its professional duties by evaluating the effects of professional competency on quantity surveying practices in Nigeria. The study population comprised the quantity surveyors who are professionals in the private organization in the Nigerian construction industry. Data were obtained to assess the professional views on the profession, examine the roles of quantity surveyors in the construction industry and assess the need for professionalism and competencies in the industry. Questionnaires were administered to the randomly selected 200 practicing quantity surveyors in Lagos state. Findings revealed that the major role of quantity surveyors in the construction industry is the preparation of the bill of quantity as it ranked 1^st with RII value of 1.00; it was also discovered that the quantity surveyors were in agreement to client service delivery as the first ethical standard that construction professionals should consider when performing their professional obligations in order to avoid project failure and over-cost. It is therefore recommended that the professional bodies and the academia should organize proper and adequate service training, workshop and seminars which will enhance the possibility of acquiring more skills and experience so as to improve competence in the discharge of quantity surveyors professional duties.

Keywords: Professionalism, competency, ethical standard, industry