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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess educational building projects with a view to determining the level of utilization of competitive tendering methods, factors influencing their choice and predisposition to risk factors, in order to ensure effective construction project delivery.Design/methodology/approachThe paper assessed the level of utilization of competitive tendering methods, the factors influencing their choice and finally the predisposition of each of the methods to risk factors, adopting survey method which involved primary data, obtained by using multiple‐choice questionnaire administered to the respondents (architects, quantity surveyors, builders, structural engineers, civil engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers).FindingsIt was found that the usage of open competitive tendering methods outweighed selective tendering method of procurement as a result of accountability and price competition involved, which made it predisposed to not only financial risk factors, but also political and logistics factors.Research limitations/implicationsMultiple‐choice questionnaire administered to the respondents (architects, quantity surveyors, builders, structural engineers, civil engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers) was limited to selected institutions in the southwestern zone of Nigeria.Practical implicationsThe most widely adopted method (open competitive tendering method) suffers from risk factors such as selective but high premium being placed on financial and logistic risk factors in order to achieve hitch‐free construction project delivery. These measures will help the stakeholders in assessing degrees of project complexity and better manage the potential risks that might be induced to different levels of competitive tendering methods of project procurement in relation to educational building projects.Originality/valueThis empirical investigation provides strong evidence on the procurement of educational building projects in response to due process policy. The findings provided insightful perspectives to define and understand project complexity. For stakeholders, understanding and addressing the complexity help to improve project planning and implementation.

Purpose Despite the huge capital outlay in tertiary education building projects (TEBP), these projects undoubtedly failed in meeting the set objectives of cost, time and quality, among others. Therefore, rather than the impacts of risks on the overall project performance, which is common in the construction management literature, the purpose of this study is to assess the impacts of risk factors on the criteria for measuring the success of public TEBP. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted a quantitative research method where the data collection was via a questionnaire survey. The researcher administered 452 questionnaires to the client representatives, consultants and contractors involved in building projects across five public tertiary education institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Of 452 questionnaires, 279 were retrieved and suitable for the analysis, translating to a 61.73% response rate. The reliability analysis of the research instrument showed 0.965 and 0.807, via Cronbach’s alpha test, indicating high reliability of the instrument used for data collection. Findings The study found different risk factors affecting the criteria for measuring the success of TEBP. For instance, the environmental risk factor significantly impacted completion to cost, while financial and political risk factors significantly impacted completion to time. In addition, while environmental, legal and management risks significantly impacted end-user satisfaction, safety performance was significantly impacted by logistic, legal, design, construction, political and management risks. Besides, the logistic, legal, design, construction, financial, political and management risk factors impacted profit. However, despite profit being one of the criteria for measuring the success of building projects, it recorded the highest risk impacts amounting to 41% variance. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to the public tertiary education building projects procured via competitive tendering; therefore, the results might differ when considering other procurement methods. Practical implications The practical implication is that rather than focusing on all risk factors, the project stakeholders could give adequate attention to the significant risk factors impacting each of the parameters for measuring the success of education building projects. Originality/value The study revealed specific risk factors impacting the criteria for measuring the success of TEBP, which extend beyond the use of the overall project performance approach.

Purpose The non-performance of construction projects in meeting the set objectives has continued to draw researchers worldwide. Despite this, little attention is accorded to public tertiary education building projects in Nigeria. Therefore, on this background, this study aims to assess the perceptions of stakeholders on the level of occurrence of risk factors in the public tertiary education building projects (TEBP) to enhance the performance of these projects. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative method of data collection via a questionnaire survey. In total, 452 questionnaires were administered to the respondents comprising client representatives, consultants (quantity surveyors, architects, services and structural engineers and builders) and the contractor. The respondents were involved in the conception and execution of TEBP across five public tertiary education institutions in Ondo State, Nigeria. Of 452 questionnaires, 279 were retrieved and found suitable for analysis, indicating a 61.73% response rate. The reliability analysis for the research instrument was 0.965 via the Cronbach α test, indicating the high reliability of the instrument used for the data collection. Moreover, the clusters of risk factors also had reliability values that ranged between 0.719 and 0.875. Findings The study found inflation, delayed payments in contracts, high competition bids, delay in work progress and occurrence of variations are the most frequently occurring risk factors in public TEBP. By contrast, difficulty to access the site, environmental factors and pollution were found to be low-weighted risks with the least likelihood of occurrence. The results of this study indicated the existence of significant differences in some of the risk factors in terms of the level of risk occurrence in TEBP. The risk factors were eventually clustered into eight major groups for TEBP. The post hoc comparisons using the least significant difference test also indicated differences between the contractors and consultants in the ranking of risks occurrence in TEBP, but no significant differences between clients/contractors and clients/consultants. Research limitations/implications The findings in this study are limited to the public TEBP procured via competitive tendering; therefore, the results might not be applicable when other procurement methods are being considered. Besides, the study classified the project participants based on organizations and not on the different ownership status of the projects, such as federal or state government-owned TEBP. However, the literature shows that likelihood of risk occurrence could vary due to the degree of project ownership. Practical implications The information provided with respect to the most frequently occurring risk factors would enhance the performance of public TEBP. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the subject within a previously unexplored context where insights were provided on the most frequently occurring risk factors on the public TEBP.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the adoption of qualitative risk analysis techniques (QRAT) on construction projects in Nigeria with the aim of providing better understanding on the state of these techniques. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire survey and an in-depth interview were employed in gathering data for the study. The paper assessed the level of knowledge, awareness, utilization success and the factors affecting the utilization of qualitative risk analysis techniques. The primary data employed were obtained by using a multiple-choice questionnaire administered to the selected large construction firms in Nigeria. Findings -The result of the study revealed a low level adoption of QRAT, thus preventing the Nigerian construction industry from taking full advantage of QRAT in the analysis of risks inherent in construction projects. Also checklists, flowchart and assumption analysis were the commonly used QRAT in the study area. Furthermore, inadequate training and record keeping on risk management contributed largely to the factors affecting the utilization of QRAT on projects. Research limitations/implications -Multiple-choice questionnaires administered to the respondents (architects, quantity surveyors, builders, structural engineers, civil engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers) were limited to the selected large construction firms in the category D of the Nigerian Federal Tender Board. Practical implications -The construction sector has not taken full advantage of QRAT in the analysis of risks inherent in construction projects. This has been responsible for cost and time overruns usually recorded. Analysing risks will help the stakeholders in assessing degrees of project complexity and better manage the potential risks that might be induced to different levels of construction projects in Nigeria in order to achieve hitch free construction project delivery. Originality/value -This empirical inquiry provides strong evidence on the state of qualitative risk analysis techniques of construction projects in Nigeria. The findings provide insightful perspectives to understand construction project QRAT in its entirety. For stakeholders, understanding and addressing the complexity help to improve project planning and implementation.

The studies show that risks occur during the construction of projects and affect performance in terms of cost, time, and quality. However, with the growing evidence of cost and time overruns associated with public tertiary education building projects, this paper assessed factors predisposing these building projects to risks. Using the survey method, four hundred fifty-two questionnaires were administered to consultants, contractors, and client representatives across five tertiary education institutions. The research instrument’s reliability value was 0.763 via the Cronbach alpha test. Therefore, of 452 questionnaires administered to the respondents, 279 were retrieved, representing 61.73% return rate, and analysed. Furthermore, the top three factors include financial constraints, location of the project, and project type. In contrast, economic requirements, special and legal conditions, and building use are the minor predisposing factors. The respondents had convergent views on eight out of eleven factors except for project duration, economic requirements, and building use. Besides, the eleven factors presented in the study were significant and recorded high mean scores, implying suitable parameters for measuring factors predisposing public tertiary education building projects to risks. Based on the preceding, the study provided information on the factors that could enhance the performance of public tertiary education building projects.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the adoption of quantitative risk analysis techniques (QRAT) on construction projects in Nigeria with a view to providing better understanding on the state of these techniques. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire survey was employed in gathering data for the study. The paper assessed the level of knowledge, awareness, utilization, success and the factors influencing the adoption of QRAT. The primary data employed were obtained by using multiple-choice questionnaire administered to the selected large construction companies in Nigeria. Findings – The result of the study revealed a low level adoption of QRAT, and this inhibits Nigerian construction industry from taking full advantage inherent in QRAT. Also, it prevents the analysis of risks peculiar to construction projects. Furthermore, inadequate training and record keeping on risk management were identified as significant factors affecting the adoption/utilization of QRAT on construction projects. Research limitations/implications – Multiple-choice questionnaires administered to the respondents (architects, quantity surveyors, builders, structural engineers, civil engineers, and mechanical and electrical engineers) were limited to the selected large construction companies in the category D of the Nigerian Federal Tender Board. Originality/value – This empirical inquiry provided strong evidence on the state of QRAT of construction projects in Nigeria. The findings revealed insightful perspectives to understand construction project QRAT in its entirety. For stakeholders, understanding and addressing the complexity help to improve project planning and implementation.

Bushfire is a devastating natural hazard. Contrary to bushfire policy on catastrophic fires, some householders prefer to stay and defend their properties. In addition, more frequent destructive events have been predicted because of climate change. To date, little attention has been paid to factors concerning why householders decide not to evacuate, especially for at-risk communities. Recent bushfire fatalities underscore the need to understand the factors influencing decision-making among residents in at-risk communities. This study addresses this imperative by identifying factors through a systematic literature review. Out of 142 articles extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus databases between 1999 – 2020, 32 were found relevant. Based on the rationalism classification of knowledge in psychology, these were categorized into information, social, protection, and operational factors. The factors may inform further studies involving predictors of residents’ non-evacuation from bushfire hazards. In addition, the significant factors can be leveraged towards early self-evacuation, which could reduce bushfire fatalities and mental health impacts among the residents.