Quantitative appraisal of cost and time performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the cost and time performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select four universities (two public and two private) used for the study. Archival data on 40 completed construction projects (ten from each university) was used in the study. Data were analysed with percentile and t-test.

Findings

The study showed that only 35 per cent of the construction projects in public and 10 per cent of those in private universities were completed at the estimated cost. There were no construction projects completed within the planned time in public universities, but 20 per cent were completed within the planned time in private universities. The t-test showed there is no significant difference in performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Nigeria. The study concluded that time performance of public and private universities in Nigeria was still below acceptable international best practices.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study are limited to universities’ construction projects and may be of little application to other construction projects outside university settings.

Practical implications

It is recommended that construction stakeholders be more proactive in ensuring that significant improvement is achieved in cost and time performance of construction projects both in public and private universities; the clients need to be more detailed in their briefs and requirements, the designers (architects and engineers) need to be more precise and avoid varying their designs, the quantity surveyors should use their professional competency in cost engineering adequately and the contractor should avoid spurious claims that result in increase in construction cost and time so that performance of construction projects can be improved.

Originality/value

The study is an attempt to compare cost and time performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria.

Citation

Olatunde, N.A. and Alao, O.O. (2017), "Quantitative appraisal of cost and time performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria", Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 619-634. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-11-2016-0081