ABSTRACT
This research work assessed the
strategies for effective material management in building construction sites.
The objectives of this research were; to establish theoretical frame work on
construction material management, to investigate the factors militating against
effective materials management on construction site in Nigeria and to access
professional’s perception on the measures to be put in place to ensure
effective materials management in the construction industry in Nigeria. Various
literatures were set-out to review the objectives in extensive forms to proffer
deeper understanding. The research data were collected through questionnaires
administered to the occupants of buildings in the study area, and the data
collected were carefully assessed and analysed, and presented by the use of
tables. From the findings, it was discovered that the theoretical frame work on
construction materials management included; Material estimation, budgeting,
planning & Programming, Scheduling, purchasing and procurement, Receiving
and inspection, Inventory control, storage and Warehousing, Material handling
and transport ad Waste management. The factors militating against materials
management included; Sourcing of materials and requisition, Demand estimation,
Transportation, Receiving and verification of materials on site, Storage of
materials on site, Issuing of materials for use, Procurement for materials,
Quality inspection and control, Maintenance, Time, Materials handling, Stock
and waste control, Financial ability, Possession of qualified staff, Possession
of qualified sub contractor, Possession of qualified of required equipment,
Competence of estimators, Availability of equipment, Duration of the project,
Type of Project, Types of materials and Level of awareness. From the study, the
measures for effective materials management taken included; Timely Placing of
orders for materials, Ensure quality assurance/control processes are in place,
Logistics for tracking & transportation of materials to site, Receiving and
inspecting materials on site, Storage and issuing of materials to construction
location, Complete quality records of materials, Established material
management system to be used, Documentation, Record receipt of goods upon
delivery, Monitoring of materials distributed, e.t.c. Major Recommendations
include; The contractors should ensure effective control of materials from
design to construction stage so as to adequately reduce processes that can lead
to wastages in construction, Construction firms need to evolve better means and
facilities in which building materials could be well-stored with pallets at the
base or as may be applicable to prevent undue damage which may lead to
wastages, The designer should co-ordinate dimensions between materials
specified during design and those procured for use at sites so as to guide site
personnel on how to prevent avoidable waste in the use of various types of
materials during execution of construction projects, The construction firms
should create a functioning section that would see to the appraisal of the plan
and compliance with its provisions through capacity building and manpower
development, Material management should be practiced on all sites and by all
categories of building construction firms, whether large, medium or small and
There should be a proper planning of material management right from the
inception of project execution and strict compliance with the project bill of
quantities, schedule of materials, construction program, specification, proper
stock accounting and security systems is essential so as to ensure timely
project execution and standard work delivery within reasonable cost, time and
quality.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Material management can be defined as a
process that coordinates planning, assessing the requirement, sourcing,
purchasing, transporting, storing and controlling of materials, minimizing the
wastage and optimizing the profitability by reducing cost of material. Baldva
(1997) noted that Materials management is a process for planning, executing and
controlling field and office activities in construction. While Eduardo (2002)
viewed Materials management as the system for planning and controlling all of
the efforts necessary to ensure that the correct quality and quantity of
materials are properly specified in a timely manner, are obtained at a
reasonable cost and most importantly are available at the point of use when
required.
According to Khyomesh and Chetna, (2011)
Building materials account for 60 to 70 percent of direct cost of a project or
a facility, the remaining 30 to 40 percent being the labour cost.
Therefore, efficient procurement and
handling of material represent a key role in the successful completion of the
work. It is important for the project manager to consider that there may be
significant difference in the date that the material was requested or date when
the purchase order was made, and the time at which the material will be
delivered. These delays can occur if the contractor needs a large quantity of
material that the supplier is not able to produce at that time or by any other
factors beyond his control. Chan (2002) noted that the project manager should
always consider that procurement of materials is a potential cause for delay.
The management of Construction processes to reduce, reuse, recycle and
effectively dispose of wastes has a serious bearing on the final cost, quality,
time and impact of the project on the environment. (Dania, 2007)
The goal of materials management is to
ensure that construction materials are available at their point of use when
needed. The materials management system attempts to ensure that the right
quality and quantity of materials are appropriately selected, purchased,
delivered and handled on site in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost,
(khyomesh and chetna 2011). The scope of
materials waste is vast, and this waste
occurs in the industry irrespective of the size of the building firm,
instructions about handling, storage and stacking are not provided with the
goods or sent in advance to the site (Abdulazeez, 2000).
Materials management in construction is
also regarded as the efficient use of goods and equipment before, during and
upon completion of a building process. Petra (2013) observed that Successful
materials management requires the participation of all persons involved in a
construction process. For Materials may deteriorate during storage or get
stolen unless special care is taken. Delays and extras expenses may be incurred
if materials required for particular activities are unavailable. Ensuring a
timely flow of materials is an important concern of material management (Shah,
1993).
Thus, Materials management is an
important element in project management. Materials represent a major expense in
construction, so minimizing procurement costs improves opportunities for
reducing the overall project costs. Poor materials management can result in
increased costs during construction. On the other hand, efficient management of
materials can result in substantial savings in project costs. If materials are
purchased too early, capital may be held up and interest charges incurred on
the excess inventory of materials (Wendy, 2006).
Johnston (2001) opined that Material
Management is divided between head office and site in major construction
companies. The selection, pricing, ordering, preparation of schedules and
payment accounts are dealt with at head office, learning the receipt storage,
protection and use of materials to management on site. Due to the high cost of
materials, if not properly managed during the period of execution of contract
can lead to abandonment of project.
In his submission, lan (2008), opined
that the rate at which materials are been squandered on site due to poor
management is getting too rampant in our society and if not curbed, it can
jeopardize the future of our construction industry. This is particularly true
in view of the fact that mismanagement of construction resources (i.e materials,
plants and labour) affects the continuity and profit margin of such project and
if not checked can lead to technical insolvency or bankruptcy.
Therefore, attention must be paid to how
materials are been procured, stored and managed in order to achieve perfect
work, effective handling of materials, right usage of materials and control of
construction resources.
This, explain the reason why Johnston
(2001), noted that Materials management begins with planning and estimation,
these can be achieved through proper site co-ordination measure of reducing
wastes, the location and security of materials on sites, procurement of quality
materials as being specified and effective administration of site together with
quality control.
Lee and Donald (2001), observed that the
problem associated with the absence of proper materials management on
construction site could be wastage of resources making contract cost more than
budget sum, reduction of profit margin of the contractor ineffectiveness of
project handlings reduction of output e.t.c. and if these are not properly
taken care of it might be disastrous to the firm.
No construction project can commence and
proved effective without an adequate supply of raw materials, apart from the
careful planning of materials required by the builder, it is to his advantage
to foster a good relationship with the suppliers, many of whom will have been
selected due to their fulfillment of orders to the standard required and
meeting of delivery times over a number of years (Pheng and Chuan, 2001).
Besides the builder’s own suppliers, the
architect may specify that a certain supplier must be used and these are termed
“nominated supplier” whatever the type of suppliers to be used, the information
passed to them and receive from them is the same and in all but in the smallest
firms this information and document will pass through the buyer. (Yang, et
al., 2003).The buyer must also ensure that the architect receives any
samples from the suppliers in the very early stage of contract procedure to satisfy
him of the relative merits of the material. It may, for example, not be
possible to obtain the specified material in time in conjunction with the
building program, but by obtaining samples of similar products the architect
may decide on a new form of construction or design to prevent hold ups.
In most cases, a buyer will send
enquiries to two or three suppliers or in some cases, direct to manufacturers
for such items as sand, gravel, brick, block, cement, e.t.c, regarding prices,
delivery dates and such, for use at the estimating stage of the project. This
will enable the estimator to use the figures obtained in the preparation of the
tender figure.
To enable quick checks to be made on
delivery or non-delivery of materials a card index system is generally adopted,
this enables the purchasing or procurement department to keep a constant eye on
the supplies. These cards contain all necessary information and are best filed
in date offer for case of reference. Even when bulk delivers have been placed
according to program, by taking the extra time and trouble to write out a card
for each delivery the chance of losing sight of the delivery date is very much
reduced, as regular checks will be on the file. As materials are received, the
information will be recorded on the card.
Construction projects can be
accomplished by utilizing management processes and these processes include
planning, organizing, executing, monitoring, and controlling (Ahuja et al 1994
in Al Haddad 2006). During any construction project the three inter-related
factors of time, cost, and quality need to be controlled and managed.
Successful completion of projects requires all resources to be effectively
managed. Prabu and Baker, (2006) regard Materials management as a means to
achieve better productivity, which should be translated into cost reduction.
For, according to Ademeso and Windapo (2008), poor planning and control of
materials, lack of materials when needed, poor identification of materials,
re-handling and inadequate storage cause losses in labor productivity and
overall delays that can indirectly increase total project costs. Effective
management of materials can reduce these costs and contribute significantly to
the success of the project.
Materials management functions include
planning and taking off materials, vendor evaluation and selection, purchasing,
expenditure, shipping, material receiving, warehousing and inventory, and
material distribution. (Narimah 2011), Almost 60% of the total working capital
of any industrial organization consists of materials costs (Dey, 2001).
Materials management can only produce what it should with the right quantities
of the right material at the right time (Arnold and Chapman 2004). Thus, any
improper handling and managing of materials will cause a huge effect on the
total project cost, time and quality. There is a need to explore on the area of
materials management, the issues relating to materials management problem.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The present state of the building
construction industry in Nigeria reflects various problems ranging from delays
in project execution/delivery, substandard work, disputes, to cost and time
overrun as a result of material shortage and wastages on sites, theft and
displacement of materials on sites, as well as poor accounting and security
system of the concerned sites/firms (Adafin, 2011). According to Dahiru (2010),
lack of materials not only causes delays, but a consequent decrease in
productivity and resulting to cost overruns. This is no doubt lack of effective
material management is one of the major cause of this problem. Failure of the
project manager to make available materials need could lead to delay.
Non-compliance strictly with project bill of
quantities, schedule of materials,
specifications and construction program in material stock control practice is
another contributing factor which tends gradually to decrease profitability of
a project also often leads to extension of time respectively, and hence no
proper material stock control practice (Inyang Udoh, 2002). Besides that, Dey
(2001) noted that the rate at which materials are being wasted due to improper
management is becoming unbearable to the contractors due to its effect on their
profit margin and proper usage of material to achieve quality job been done
through various techniques.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of the research is to ensure
effective material management in order to reduce cost and time overruns, and to
ensure good quality standards.
The specific objectives of this research
are;
1. To establish
theoretical frame work on construction material management.
2. To
investigate the factors militating against effective materials management on
construction site in Nigeria.
3. To access
professionals perception on the measures to be put in place to ensure effective
materials management in the construction industry in Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following are the research questions
as related to this study.
1. What are the
principle and procedures of good construction materials management?
2. What are the
factors militating against effective materials management on construction sites
in Nigeria?
3. What are the
measures to be put in place to ensure effective materials management in
construction sites in Nigeria?
1.5
SCOPE AND DELIMITATION
This work focused on materials
management practices in Nigeria’s construction sites. The study covered factors
militating against materials management, measures for effective materials
management on construction firms. The study was limited to only building
construction sites in Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna, therefore not all the country
was covered. Site waste management was not part of this research.
1.6 JUSTIFICATION/SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
A major part of professional builder’s responsibility
in building production management entails the selection, purchase, testing,
storing and use of construction materials. As noted earlier, materials are a
major expense in construction, thus the ability of contractor to manage his
team and the flow of supplies are absolutely necessary for the successful
project delivery and profit maximization. This requires the architects and
engineers to specify exact supplies during preconstruction to avoid overstock.
The construction management team is required to buy the correct amount of
material at the right time to avoid cash flow, storage and deterioration
problems. Subcontractors need to keep track of inventories, while suppliers are
required to deliver as ordered and on time. The post-construction team has to
evaluate remaining materials for reuse and recycling purposes.
However, this is not easy; First, if
materials are purchased early, capital may be tied up and interest charges
incurred on the excess inventory of materials. Even worse, materials may
deteriorate during storage or be stolen unless special care is taken. For
example, electrical equipment often must be stored in waterproof locations.
Second, delays and extra expenses may be incurred if materials required for
particular activities are not available. Accordingly, ensuring a timely flow of
material is an important concern of project managers. (Harris and MacCaffer,
2001)
Thus, to determine the misery behind
proper materials management in construction sites in Nigeria, so as to guide
against project delay and abandonment, also to create a standard method based
on size of construction site to control cost of contract and materials wastage.
It is not only desirable but necessary to undertake careful study of material
management. Additionally, since Proper material management will benefit the
firm in terms of increase profit margin, quick execution and reduce cost of the
project. This brings the need for an evaluation of materials management in
Nigeria construction industry.
================================================================
Item Type: Project Material | Attribute: 67 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Price: N3,000 | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment