The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has concluded plans to deepen its contribution to national development through a new service that targets informal construction sector.
The new initiative is expected to deliver benefits to individuals and managers handling projects of lower size and complexity through the provision of resource scheduling services by quantity surveyors.
NIQS President, Mohammad Abba Tor, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the zonal workshop on ‘Importance of Resources schedule for inclusive development of the construction industry,’ stated that mainstreaming resource scheduling tool as a regular quantity surveying service would ensure proper planning and effective deployment of scarce resources to clients, especially in the informal sector. He added that the service is more critical now than ever as prices of construction materials keep increasing unabated.
NIQS president said due to the challenges facing the construction industry, it had become imperative for quantity surveyors, who are experts in costing and cost management of construction projects to step in to correct the anomaly.
Abba Tor noted that a quantity surveyor is an expert trained to provide total cost of capital projects from conception to commissioning and maintenance in all sectors of the economy, thereby ensuring value for money.
He observed that quantity surveyors have a pivotal role to play in prudent costing of projects, procurement planning, budgetary implementation, post contract auditing, alternative dispute resolution, project management and project cost monitoring in the construction industry.
He noted that the value of bills of quantities is mostly restricted to the formal sector of the construction industry. According to him, most participants involved in low size projects lament the pains in identifying and analysing actual resources required for their projects, adding that resource-scheduling tool is meant to address and resolve such challenges.
Abbar Tor explained that the rebranding programme embarked upon by the NIQS was aimed at offering optimum services to clients and exploring better tools as well as techniques of achieving customer satisfaction.
He pointed out that the core values of the institute include transparency, accountability, probity, value for money and professional management.
