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PurposeThe increasing pressure from clients and global construction trends have led the construction industry to seek better options for overcoming the emerging challenges and critical issues battling construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to assess the factors affecting the performance of partners in joint ventures construction projects in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected through the administration of questionnaire to partners and consultants who have engaged in joint venture construction project in partnership with the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation. The data obtained were analyzed using Mean Item Score, Wilcoxon‐Mann‐Whitney (U‐test) test, Kruskal‐Wallis (H‐test) test and factor analysis.FindingsThe study revealed that all the factors identified were significant to the performance of partners in joint venture construction with communication, compatibility of objectives and mutual understanding among partners ranked as the most important to the performance of partners in Joint Venture Projects. A KMO value of 0.743 was also derived indicating the suitability of the data for factor analysis.Practical implicationsThe research could be beneficial to potential investors for deciding the factors that contribute significantly to the performance of Partners in Joint Venture Construction Projects for inclusion in the drafting of Joint Venture Agreements. The five groupings from factor analysis and their relationship will also help in developing a framework for Joint Venture Construction Projects.Originality/valueThe extracted factors and values will help to identify prioritized factors which could be used as an assessment tool to evaluate the performance of partners and thus identifying areas for improvement.

Purpose -Management capability is one of the major criteria for evaluating construction contractors during prequalification and tender evaluation This paper aims to investigate the impact of contractors' management capability as a prequalification criterion on cost and time performance of selected building projects. Design/methodology/approach -Prequalification assessments of management capability of wining contractors as well as cost data relating to 77 completed building projects executed between 2004 and 2007 are obtained. The data obtained from a questionnaire and archival data are analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and multiple regression. Findings -The results reveal that contractors' management capability has significant impact on cost and time performance of building projects as evidenced by p-values of 0.042 and 0.039, respectively. Practical implications -The research could be of significant benefit at the research implementation stage of public procurement practice especially in relation to the construction industry in Nigeria. Construction practitioners involved in prequalification and tender evaluation should continue to seek relevant information relating to management capability from the candidate contractors during prequalification and tender evaluation. Originality/value -Models capable of predicting the final cost and duration of building projects are eventually derived based on prequalification assessment of contractors on management capability, proposed contract duration and the initial contract figure. The goodness of fit of the models as defined by the value of R 2 is found to be 96.2 percent and 90.01 percent for cost and time, respectively; thus signifying high predictive efficacy of the models.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine construction bonds, which is a risk management tool for ensuring that projects are delivered successfully, with emphasis on the influence of stakeholders, project characteristics and bonding decision factors. Design/methodology/approach Using case study of completed public building projects, questionnaires were administered on stakeholders that participated in the projects to solicit information on identified issues. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine relationship among identified factors, and various model selection and validation tests were carried out to arrive at the best-fit model. Findings The final model revealed that type of bond, stakeholders’ influence, project characteristics, risks of bonded projects and bonding decision factors have significant effect on success of bonded construction projects. Of the stakeholders, guarantors and contractors have greater influence on effective administration of bonds. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to Lagos and Ondo states, Nigeria. Data were gathered from clients of public projects, banks and insurance companies (guarantors), as well as contracting, quantity surveying and architectural firms registered with the state governments. This is because of the fact that only such firms can be engaged on projects emanating from the governments. Practical implications To enhance project success, there is a need to adopt construction bond for both public and private projects as against the current practice where it is only mandated for public projects. Originality/value Using SEM, this research examined administration of construction bonds with a view to ascertaining their effects on projects success, thereby providing relevant empirical information for stakeholders for effective administration of construction bond.

Construction projects in Nigeria are generally characterized by cost and time overrun, substandard work, disputes and abandonment; emanating from several factors of which the wrong choice of contractors is a key factor. This study evaluated the criteria adopted by clients and consultants in contractors’ selection in Nigeria. Data were collected with the aid of questionnaire administered on clients and consultants within the Nigerian construction industry. Also prequalification/bid evaluation scores for eighty contractors were collected based on the criteria used in assessing them. The data collected were analysed with the aid of mean score and regression analysis. The result showed that past performance; contractors’ experience; workmanship quality; tender sum; and plant and equipment were the most important criteria for contractors’ prequalification/bid evaluation in Nigeria. A contractors’ selection model was eventually derived based on some of the identified factors. The goodness of fit of the model as defined by the value of r2 was found to be 99%. This therefore implies that only 1% is explained by other independent variables not included in the regression equation; hence the suitability of the model for contractors’ selection in Nigeria.

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Purpose This paper aims to assess the drivers of value management (VM) in the Nigerian construction industry with a view to identify the critical ones through Delphi study. Design/methodology/approach A team of 15 carefully selected experts in VM were engaged in two rounds of Delphi survey, and the responses of the survey were analyzed with descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and mode). Kendall’s coefficient of concordance test and Chi-square (χ2) test were also used to test the level of consensus amongst the respondents at the two rounds of the survey to draw inference. Interrater agreement analysis and significant level analysis were further used to determine the criticality of critical drivers. Findings The critical drivers to VM adoption are adequate understanding of the benefits of VM, higher/postgraduate programme that teaches VM technique, professional’s previous experience with VM, collaboration of all construction professional bodies in Nigeria and VM training. Originality/value This paper used opinions of VM experts only to achieve the aim of this study as against the common survey method in which respondents who are not knowledgeable in the area of research might fill the questionnaire.

Ethics have a verifiable effect on the validity and economic supportability of quantity studying practices and additionally influencing the individual security of the profession. There is a developing consent inside and outside the construction industry that unscrupulous practices are endemic in the construction industry especially quantity surveying practice in Nigeria. This paper thusly, x-rayed the outcomes of unethical practices by Quantity Surveyors in the construction industry in Nigeria, and likewise displays more scholarly and practical approach in dealing with moral appraisal of Quantity Surveyors in the construction industry and ways to improve moral standard among them. Very much organized polls (questionnaire) were self-administered to stakeholders and professionals in construction organizations. Literature review also revealed that unethical practices result to dissatisfied clients, late compensation due to delays, low productivity/efficiency of project team, deterioration in professionalism, poor workmanship, high maintenance, upward review of contract cost, poor project coordination, poor quality infrastructure development, stunted growth of the industry, reduction in the life span of building, loss of public trust, conflicts between client and construction team, poor quality of infrastructural development and loss of public trust. Data were collected and analyzed using Mean Item Score (MIS) and Standard Deviation (SD). The results shows that dissatisfaction of clients, High maintenance cost and Poor workmanship were perceived to be the major ethical misconduct by Quantity Surveyors in the construction industry. The study recommended that Quantity Surveyors should not always make financial benefits, other advantages as their real concern and gain cash unethically by all means. Others professionals in the industry ought to dependably be caution and endeavor not to keep any untrustworthy conduct among themselves. Major client in Nigeria construction industry, which is the government need to be fair to the Quantity Surveyors and other professionals in the construction industry.