By Chimezie Godfrey
The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has said that it is set to further deepen its contribution to national development through a new initiative that targets the informal sector.
The NIQS President, QS Abba Tor, disclosed this at a workshop which was held in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the initiative will deliver direct benefits to individuals and managers of small projects through the provision of resource scheduling services to such projects by professional quantity surveyors.
In his words, “NIQS is set to deepen its contribution to national development through a new initiative targeting the informal construction sector. What we will be achieving by mainstreaming this service as a regular part of the bouquet of services quantity surveyors offer is the efficient utilisation of resources for people carrying out construction projects in the informal sector.
“Resource scheduling is a simple but extremely important service that everyone needs. Most people who carry out construction projects will tell you that the pains involved in identifying actual quantity of resources needed as well as verification of current market prices and contracting of manpower is herculean.
“Because of that, many projects are not properly costed at the start and the project owner quickly finds himself struggling to cope with frequent changes in costs of materials and labour. Project owners end up with either costly or poor quality projects as a result.
“This happens every single day across hundreds of thousands of construction related projects nationwide. When you consider the amount of loss it can quickly amount to on a national scale, you will agree that there is an urgent need for the professionals equipped with the technical know-how to step in.”
The President said this service will have a direct positive impact on national development as Quantity Surveyors will deploy their professional skills to enhance availability of construction cost information and coordination among construction industry participants that will be involved in projects in the informal sector.
According to him, “Quantity Surveyors will be making a direct impact on national development. With ever dwindling scarce resources, Nigerians have to be more efficient in how their available resources are utilised. With this service, the average Nigerian engaging in a construction related activity procures a professional cost management service that ensures proper planning and effective deployment of resources, which in turn frees up saved resources for other uses.
“The Quantity Surveyor improves the cost information available to construction project participants during design and construction operations. To do this’ our members source for data internally and externally, process the data and turn it into relevant information and then present it to the project owner at the appropriate time during the construction process.
“During the workshop, we shared insights with our members that will provide guidance on how they can deploy this service to the highest professional standards. The key concepts, areas the service focuses on, the importance of being credible and ethical to ensure the clients get their money’s worth are areas the workshop were all carefully expounded on,” he said.
