Abstract:Bidding is the most common means by which contractors obtain work. The construction industry accounts for approximately three quarters of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the country. It is generally believed that wrong bidding practice is a major contributor to the construction industry's inefficiency. This means that any improvement in bidding has the potential to enhance the industry's performance, improve the quality of the decision-making process and assist in achieving the strategic objective of contracting organisations. In an effort to uncover the main factors that characterise the bid/no bid decision of contracting organisations, a study to evaluate the factors that affect contractors' decisions to bid for a project and to evaluate the importance of the identified factors to decision makers was conducted. A structured questionnaire was used as the principal instrument for collecting data from respondents. A total sample of 100 was drawn from these collections of construction contractors from Lagos state. Fifty were completed and returned, representing a 50% response rate. Frequency, percentage, mean score and Spearman's correlation were used in analysing data collected for the study. The results indicate that the financial capability of clients, availability of capital and availability of material are the most important factors that contractors consider when making a bid/no bid decision. The study also reveals that competition (number and identity of competitors) does not have significant influence on contractors' bidding decisions. The study recommends that contractors should also build their reputations in the construction industry by acquiring technical competencies and capabilities as these qualities have become important considerations in assessing contractors' competiveness, as well as being key indicators of successful tendering in construction projects.

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It is difficult to fathom the words 'skilled labour shortage' in a country of over 160 million, but the challenge of shortage of trained skilled construction labour is glaring in the industry

The female population represents one of the greatest untapped resources for economic growth and revitalization in most sectors. The purpose of the study was to examine the socio-economics of women’s inclusion in green construction. The study utilized the use of questionnaires which were distributed to female professionals in the Nigerian construction industry. A total of 120 female construction professionals were used for this study. The data gathered was analysed using SPSS v17.0 with tests such as Frequencies, Percentages, Mean Score, ANOVA, and Factor Analysis. The result revealed a low level of participation by women in green construction. Women in construction exhibited moderate participation in Solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance and in the enforcement of environmentally friendly practices on-site. The study revealed that the stressful nature of works, low interest from women, low career growth/progression and low investments in green works are significant barriers affecting women’s inclusion in green construction. In conclusion, the study identified three (3) socio-economic benefits of women’s inclusion in green construction. These are family/women related benefits, environment related benefits, and green energy market related benefits. The study suggested measures to increase women’s participation in green construction.

Studies have shown that adoption of sustainable construction practice would result in a substantial reduction in the greenhouse emissions from the construction industry. Evolving a sustainable development practice is an emergent concern for the construction industry in both developing and developed countries. Sustainable construction is concerned with site planning and design, community, indoor air quality, energy, materials, water, commissioning and marketability for the benefit of mankind. This requires enormous efforts from all the stakeholders in the industry. Sustainable construction efforts in the Nigerian construction industry have been ineffective as a result of a number of barriers that prevent a smooth transition to sustainable construction practice in the country. The aim of this study is to assess the potential barriers that hinder effective adoption of sustainable construction practice in the Nigerian Construction Industry, with a view to exploring how these barriers can be overcome and thereby achieving sustainable construction in the country. A cross-sectional questionnaire was adopted for the survey. Purposive sampling technique was used to elicit 105 copies of questionnaires from various construction professionals based in Lagos state, Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, relative importance index and ranking. The results revealed that key barriers to sustainable construction in the Nigerian Construction Industry are poor government support for sustainable construction, lack of relevant laws and regulations to drive sustainable construction, lack of demand for sustainable construction from clients, low level of awareness of sustainable construction and fear of the cost of adopting sustainable construction. Based on the findings from this study, it was recommended that government should assume a greater role in the popularisation and application of sustainable strategy. The barriers identified and the suggestions made to minimize barriers to the adoption of sustainable construction in Nigeria should offer an enabling environment for stakeholders in construction sector to smoothly adopt sustainable construction for the benefit of humanity.   Keywords: adoption, barriers, construction industry, Nigeria, sustainable construction