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The Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) has identified the root cause of the persistent disagreements between contractors and the Federal Government regarding price variations (VOP) in government projects. The board attributes these disputes to the involvement of unqualified individuals in the project costing process.
At the 2024 Annual Assembly and induction ceremony for newly-registered quantity surveyors in Abuja, QSRBN President, Obafemi Onashile, addressed a significant concern. He expressed regret that professionals trained in infrastructure costing are frequently sidelined in crucial project costing decisions. Onashile pointed out that this exclusion often results in inaccurate cost estimates and unrealistic budgets, leading to disputes when the actual expenses surpass the initial projections.
He emphasised that qualified quantity surveyors possess the necessary skills and experience to accurately estimate project costs, taking into account potential variations in prices due to market fluctuations, unforeseen circumstances, and other economic factors. Their involvement is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability in the budgeting and execution of government projects.
He called for a more rigorous enforcement of professional standards in project costing, urging the government to mandate the inclusion of certified quantity surveyors in all stages of project planning and implementation. He argued that doing so would not only reduce disputes over price variations but also enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of project delivery, ensuring that public funds are used judiciously and projects are completed on time and within budget.
According to him, if the budgeting and the costing has been done by somebody who is not qualified to do it, then there will be problems.
“We have situations where accountants are doing budgets for infrastructure projects. We have situations where engineers are doing budgets for infrastructure projects.
“These are not professionals that are trained and given licence to do costings for projects.
“Let the requisite professionals do the costing such that adequate budgeting is made for the project. When adequate budgeting is made, the project will be executed successfully without any interest or abandonment” he said
Onashile noted that because the professionals were not carried along at the inception of costing the projects, funding often became the problem.
“As I said earlier, funding is the major reason why there could be abandonment of projects. Now, the other issue is, if the funding is inadequate.
“One, I said it must be provided. Two, it must be monitored” he further explained
The quantity surveyor said the major challenges facing the quantity surveying professionals is the lack of patronage and commissioning of the members in government projects.
“There were challenges before I assumed office and upon my assumption of office I’m also tackling them.
“One of the major challenges is the lack of patronage and commissioning of the members of quantity surveyors in government projects. And we believe that this is not only a deficiency to quantity surveyors, but even to other professionals in the construction industry.
“And so, the first major challenge is getting work, getting commissions for quantity surveyors.
“The second challenge is the perceived lack of full understanding of the importance of quantity surveyors. Quantity surveyors’ contribution to the economy of the nation is enormous. And that’s one of the reasons why we have chosen the theme for this year’s annual assembly.
“The way we’ve done it, is to showcase the capacity and capabilities of quantity surveyors, in contributing to the economy, and for the government to understand this, and ensure that they get quantity surveyors to adequately contribute.
“The contribution of quantity surveyors to the economy is exponential compared to the compensation or remuneration of the quantity surveyors. It is the government and the nation that will bear the fruits of those kinds of commissioning of quantity surveyors.
“So, that’s another challenge, to get the understanding, disseminate the proper understanding to the government” he noted.
On how the challenges could be addressed, Onashile noted that one way of addressing them is to patronise quantity surveyors.
“We are communicating with the government about the awareness of quantity surveyors.
“Two, we’re also enabling the government, the ministries to speak out. Because we do realise that there’s a division of governance.
