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PurposeElectrical services contribute a substantial percentage of total construction cost of any particular project. It is essential for estimators to have a detailed knowledge of the factors that affect the incorporation of electrical services cost into the overall building project cost. The overall aim of the study that formed the basis for this paper therefore was to investigate the factors that influence cost estimating of electrical services project.Design/methodology/approachThe study was carried out based on questionnaire survey of 225 organizations that are involved in cost estimating of electrical services projects in Nigeria. A total of 158 questionnaires out of the 163 retrieved were appropriate for analysis. A list of factors potentially influencing cost estimate for electrical services was identified for the respondents to rate. The data collected were analyzed using factor analysis based on principal component analysis and varimax orthogonal rotation.FindingsThe results shows that the factors affecting production of cost estimate for electrical services could be grouped into four principal factors: the most important factor grouping being estimator competence followed by project technicality, economic requirements and contract requirements.Practical implicationsMany factors are considered by practitioners in the preparation of cost estimate for electrical work in construction project development. The paper has listed about 23 factors that are relevant. However, this paper has shown that four principal factors need to be considered as they explain 64 percent of the factors affect cost estimate production for building project's electrical service works.Originality/valueReview of literature has shown that there is limited empirical research on the factors influencing cost estimate production for electrical services work. The paper has produced an empirical research on the crucial factors that must be taken into account when producing cost estimate for the electrical service projects.
This article examines time and cost performance of projects executed by small and mediumsized construction firms with a view to enhancing the firms' capabilities. The study adopted a quantitative descriptive analysis based on primary and archival data. Sixty-eight (68) valid questionnaires obtained from top managers of the firms provided primary quantitative data for the assessment. Secondary data were collected on the initial and final contract sums as well as on the initial and completion times of 184 public projects executed by the firms. Data collected were analysed using descriptive analysis. The findings indicated that the small firms specialised in general building works, while the medium-sized firms specialised in civil works, in addition to general building works. Project values in the case of small construction firms ranged between N1 million and N50 million, while those of medium-sized construction firms ranged between N51 million and N100 million. The performance index (PI) of the projects executed by the firms showed a general underperformance level. Approximately respectively, had cost performance index (CPI) at budget level (CPI = 1). Meanwhile, 37.42% of the projects executed by the small firms and 24.13% of those executed by medium-sized firms were completed as planned, that is, they had schedule performance index (SPI = 1). The article provides implications for understanding the influence of the construction firms' profile in relation to their PI that could assist in the capability development of small and mediumsized construction firms.
PurposeSustainability transformation in the construction industry is vital for the attainment of sustainable development goals. While conventional construction has been at the expense of social and economic sustainability, sustainable construction can enhance environmental, social and economic outcomes for the construction industry and society at large. However, the industry struggles with new initiates because its stakeholders are products of unique institutions which shape their decisions and intentions to adopt new practices. This study assessed the institutional pressures that influence the adoption of sustainable construction to enhance our understanding of other factors that can promote and accelerate the adoption of sustainable construction.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a quantitative research design with the use of online questionnaires to elicit information from construction professionals in South Africa. Descriptive statistics of frequencies, mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data obtained from the survey. Linear regression was also used to assess the influence of institutional pressures on the adoption of sustainable construction.FindingsMimetic pressures were found to have a significant influence on the adoption of sustainable construction. The decision to adopt sustainable construction was based on the sustainability actions of industry leaders (mimetic pressure). Normative and coercive pressures had no significant influence on the adoption of sustainable construction.Practical implicationsMimetic pressure from competitors and normative pressures is already exerting some pressure on stakeholders to adopt sustainable construction. However, there cannot be a long-term commitment that will yield the needed sustainability transformations without additional normative pressure from learned societies and coercive pressure from the government. As one of the pioneering works from the global south, this study provides empirical validations of the influence of institutional pressures on the adoption of sustainable construction. It also enhances understanding of how institutional pressures from the social context can promote and accelerate the adoption of sustainable construction.Originality/valueThe findings present one of the pioneering efforts to empirically validate the influence of institutional pressures on the adoption of sustainable construction.
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