Deployment of appropriate skills and competencies is crucial and germane to the development and continuous relevance of any profession. In the built environment, the art of selecting the required skills and competencies expected of quantity surveyors and understanding the inherent dependencies between them remains a research issue. The purpose of this study was to determine the skill requirements and competencies expected of quantity surveyors. A structured questionnaire was administered among quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, builders and clients in Nigeria. The respondents were asked to give rating, on a 5 point Likert scale, on usual skills and competencies required of quantity surveyors. A secondary objective of the study was to examine the important skills and competencies and categorized them into core skill, basic skill, core competence, optional competence and special competence. The results of the study indicate the important skills as computer literacy, building engineering, information technology, economics, measurement/quantification and knowledge of civil/heavy engineering works. The results also indicate the important competencies to be cost planning and control, estimating, construction procurement system, contract documentation, contract administration and project management. The findings of the research have considerable implications on the training and practice of quantity surveying in Nigeria.

Purpose Stress has become an important topic in the academic environment. However, studies on academic stress among built environment students have received little attention. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to assess the causes of academic stress, and its coping strategies among built environment undergraduate students in public higher education institution (HEI) in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach An extensive literature review was conducted to identify the causes of academic stress and its coping strategies among the students in HEIs, using quantity surveying students as a case. Primary data were elicited through questionnaire survey administered on 189 quantity surveying students in Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. A total of 169 copies of the questionnaire were returned and suitable for analysis. The data obtained were analyzed using the mean score and t-test. Findings The study identified 27 causes of students’ academic stress, and the analysis of the total ranking revealed that 8 out of 27 causes of academic stress were considered important. The results of t-test indicated that except for 5 out of 27 identified causes of student academic stress, there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of male and female students. The study further identified 30 coping strategies employed by students in dealing with academic stress, out of which six identified coping strategies were considered important. In addition, the results of t-test revealed that except for 11 out of 30 identified coping strategies, there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of male and female students surveyed. Practical implications The identification of the important causes of academic stress and its coping strategies among the students in the public higher education will be useful for the university management to formulate policies toward providing a well-balanced academic environment that is conducive to better learning. In addition, policy recommendations are proposed. Originality/value The findings will help the academic staff and university management to design and implement policies toward refining the teaching procedures in higher education. Also, this study would be of great value to academic staff and university administrators to develop a framework for incorporating stress coping strategies in the higher education curriculum. This study is important as not many empirical studies relating to academic stress and its coping strategies have been conducted in the built environment disciplines.

One of the major reasons for ineffective project delivery in the Nigerian construction industry is the improper assessment of risk factors. As a result, the industry continues to suffer poor performance with many projects failing to meet time and cost targets.• This paper identifies the risk factors inherent in different building procurement methods and assesses their perceived relative importance with a view to evaluating their impact on project cost. The paper reports on a study carried out through a questionnaire survey of professionals within the construction industry in order to asses the relative importance placed on risk factors. Responses from the survey were analysed using relative importance index for the purpose of evaluating the impact of risk on projects cost. Data were collected on selected completed projects and analysed using frequencies, mean values and relative important index.• The main risk factors identified are finance and political influence. A model was developed by relating the variation between the initial contract estimate and the actual project cost to the risk variables. From the analysis, the percentages of projects cost overrun due to the impact of risk were established for each procurement method investigated. The paper recommends that contingency additions should be based on the procurement method used.

Purpose The opportunities that the building information modeling (BIM) mode of project delivery presents warrant the need for the construction professionals to be adequately trained on BIM technology and processes. The purpose of this paper is to assess the training gaps that exist between the perceived and expected knowledge of BIM practice among construction professionals in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out through a structured questionnaire survey administered on identifying training gaps among registered Nigerian construction professionals toward BIM adoption. Relevant information on the perceived and expected BIM mode of practices was systematically collected from 212 participants who are familiar with BIM concepts. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics and gap analysis. Findings Gap analysis was employed in determining the significance of BIM training gap for various practices among the construction professionals. The most significant gaps in BIM practice with gap analysis value>1 are the project review technique and clash detection for architectural practice. Among quantity surveyors, cost estimating, preparation of bills of quantities and project budgeting are the practice areas where there are significant training gaps in adopting BIM. For engineering practices, the gap analysis reveals a significant training gap in design creation and coordination, as-built-modeling, clash detection and space management. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to the perception of the respondents on actual and ideal BIM practices, not considering the process workflow, facility requirements and other issues that revolve round BIM adoption and implementation. It is also limited to professionals in the industry, and further studies will be appropriate to address these limitations. Practical implications The study reveals that there is a great need to meet the training gaps for BIM adoption in ensuring efficiency of construction project delivery. Originality/value The gaps that exist between the actual and expected BIM training were statistically established.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the competence of Nigerian quantity surveyors with a view to identify and assess required areas of interest. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was administered among relevant groups of respondent (quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, builders and clients) in Nigeria. The respondents were asked to give rating, on a five-point Likert scale, on the required competencies (variables) expected of Nigerian quantity surveyors. A mean item score statistical analysis was used to rank the variables and compare them within the different groups. The analysis was undertaken using the Statistical Packages for Social Science tool. In exploring the underlying relationship among the competence requirement, factor analysis statistical technique was used to categorize them into key components. Findings The results of the study identified required competencies and factorized them into three components. These are as follows: procurement and value management; commercial management; and communication and entrepreneurship. Originality/value The findings provide insight into the competencies needed to be incorporated and/or intensified in the training of quantity surveyors in Nigeria.