AN ASSESSMENT OF THE VARIABILITY OF COST AND TIME RELATED ITEMS OF PRELIMINARIES IN BUILDING CONTRACTS IN NIGERIA
AN ASSESSMENT OF THE VARIABILITY OF COST AND TIME RELATED ITEMS OF PRELIMINARIES IN BUILDING CONTRACTS IN NIGERIA
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Date
2006-06
Authors
ABDULLAHI, GIMBA MOHAMMAD
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Abstract
Preliminaries in building construction contracts are allowed for the support services provided
on to the main work. Some studies show that they account for as much as ten percent (10%) of
the total cost of the contract. There has not been any precise approach to the determination of
the total cost of what should consist of preliminaries. This study seeks to establish the
variability in the total cost of preliminaries in building projects and that of the various items.
The main objective was to establish the cost significant items of preliminaries and to provide
guide to assist practitioners in the pricing and management of preliminaries in building
contract. The method adopted involved the collection of primary data on completed projects
and the administration of questionnaires. Sixty (60) completed projects were studied and sixty
(60) questionnaires sent out. Forty five (45) of the questionnaires were completed and returned
by respondents. The data collected were analysed using some statistical tools such as the
measure of central tendency, test of significance and regression analysis. The results revealed
that provision of preliminaries is very important in the execution of building contract and that
the most appropriate method of pricing and valuing them is to consider the individual items.
The study showed that there exists very high variability in the provision of preliminaries among
various projects as well as among the various items of preliminaries. Strong positive
relationship (r = 0.974 – 0.999) exist between the initial and final sums of the various
preliminaries item. The study concluded that preliminaries are an indispensable part of
construction contract execution for efficient delivery. The pricing of the various items that
constitute the preliminaries can ensure adequate provision for this important element of a
building contract. Therefore, it is recommended that consultants give detail information on the
items so that they can be priced to reduce variability.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Post-graduate School,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of a Master of
Science Degree in Construction Management.
DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA.
June 2006.
Keywords
ASSESSMENT,, VARIABILITY,, COST AND TIME RELATED,, ITEMS,, PRELIMINARIES, BUILDING,, CONTRACTS,, NIGERIA