CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Working /contract drawing according to Thomas and Marvin (1978),
working drawings are defined to be a communication medium whose purpose
is to graphically convey the design requirement for a construction
project.
They control the design by indicating the construction in
considerable detail; if they are sufficiently detailed, a competent
builder can construct the project in accordance with the design and
without confusion. Nowadays, many building clients are curious of
knowing their probable cost of having a particular building before the
commencement of the work.
However, the task of making the cost known to the building client
entailed arrays of exercise to be done by the professionals involved,
stating from the design stage up to the practical completion of the
project, the design stage encompasses various activities, such as, the
client brief, site investigation, skeletal design, construction design
and finally the contract/working drawings which can be passed to the
quantity surveyor and finally issued to the contractor.
These are expected to be the minimum numbers of drawings which give
production information showing all relevant information’s from
consultant transferred to agreed scale, exchanges details and exploiting
the values of three dimensional sketches.
The information is read to gather by the client, the estimator and
the site agents. Seely (2008), believed that drawing should show the
nature and scope of work to be carried out under the contract. They are
to be detailed and comprehensive of bill of quantities. It is also to
assist the contractor to accurately price and carry out the work
satisfactorily.
Drawings are expected to have description and explanatory notes
clearly defined, legible and free from abbreviations amplified figured
dimension should be inserted in the drawing to ensure maximum accuracy
in taking off quantities and in setting out construction work on site.
Turner (2003), referred to the design and quality of the finished
work as a major feature of the contract document. Contract drawings
should show the positioning of the building members or a supplementary
non-contract document. These contract drawings will include:
architectural, structural and services.
1.1 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
It has become a regular occurrence nowadays in which we find the
project final cost that will overrun the contract sum originally set in
contract document due to negligence in the part of the architect and the
building professionals to provide enough drawings and information at
both the pre-contract and post contract stage. This has posed so many
problems on the neck of many clients, by offsetting their initial
monetary budget.
More so, many design practitioners has paid little attention to
supply of contract drawings. Rather they belief in given instruction
and description to the contractor on whatever they felt to be changed,
added, omitted etc. in the progress of work, putting the essence of
contract drawings behind.
Besides, it is obvious that many contract periods has been affected
due to late or incomplete contract drawing or probably incomplete
information on the contract drawing given to the contractor. This
extends the client rental payment on borrowed properties due to late
possession of their own building property. The above problems have
contributed greatly to the differences between the initial cost
(contract sum) and the project final cost caused by the building
drawings; To contractor it lead to increment in the project and general
overhead and reduces his profit, which to the consultants the running
cost increment, stress and reduce the consultant prestige.
1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
From the above statement of problems confronting this research on the
impact of contract drawings on project final cost, the following
research questions were deduced
- What were the effects of the numbers of contract drawings on the final cost of building project?
- What are the effects of number of contract drawings used on the time overrun of a building project?
- Does the use of contract drawings have an important impact on the cost of building project?
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
1.3.1 AIM
The aim of this research is to study the influence of contract
drawing on building project final cost and to recommend solution that
will curb the practice by building professionals.
1.3.2 OBJECTIVES
- To identify the number of contract drawings used for the procurement of building project?
- To access the effect of inadequate contract drawings on the final cost of building project.
- To examine the importance of detailed contract drawings on a building project?
1.4 HYPOTHESIS
Based on the objective number one (1) and two (2) hypothesis were formulated as follow:
Objective 1
Ho: The number of contract drawings used has no effect on the final cost of a building project.
Hi: The number of contract drawings used has effect on the building project final cost.
Objective 2
Ho: The number of contract drawings used has no effect on the time overrun of building project
Hi: The number of contract drawings used has significant effect on the time overrun of a building project.
1.5 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY
Oyemade (2002) carried out research on the impact of contract
drawings on project final cost, but he failed to emphasis on how the
number of contract drawings used affect contract period and the
significant of contract drawings in the building industry. The
importance of contract drawing is quite obvious in the present building
industry. It serves as a convenient medium of communication between the
consultant and the contractors, likewise the clients. Drawings are drawn
as architectural, structural and services to give whosoever appreciated
it the imagination sense of how the building is going to look like,
also it would be brought to the mind (practitioners) the likely period
of time meant for the execution of such a project. With this, this
research work will throw light on the importance of contract drawings,
the effect of number of contract drawings used on contract period (time)
and also to resist the acceptable hypothesis by Oyemade (2002) with
another test to see if it is reliable or not.
1.6 LIMITATION AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research has been scheduled to cover residential
building project in ilorin, Kwara state, by different consultants and
contractors. This is to examine how the numbers of contract drawing
issued from the pre-contract to post contract drawings in building
project execution and how contract drawings affect contract period.
But this research has been limited to only residential
building project executed in ilorin by the government. The reason is
that it is very clear to get records of residential buildings by
individual clients in ilorin, this is usually possible on the government
building project through the help of ministry of housing and urban
development, and other government agencies in ilorin.
However, having determined the project cost, then it will
be obvious to the client that he has the financial capability of the
project. But if not, he may urge the professionals to redesign the
drawing to suit his financial capability instead of abandoning or
diverting the money into another different line. This helps the building
client, professional and the contractors against abandonment of the
project.
More so, it reveals the importance of contract drawings
in the building industry and also to know that contract drawings can
elongate the stipulated contract period set in the bill of quantities,
which will eventually bounce back on the contract sum by increasing it
to another figure.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
1.7.1 COST: Is the actual expenditure incurred in
securing a particular service (tangible or intangible) or a defined
property, place or at a particular time.
1.7.2 DRAWING: This is known to be a communication
medium whose purpose is to graphically convey the design requirement for
a construction project.
1.7.3 BILL OF QUANTITY: This is the document that
includes the analysis of building elements showing the quantities of
each element with their unit rate.
1.7.4 PROJECT: Is the quantity of building work that is organized carefully and designed to achieve a particular aim,
1.7.5 VARIATION: Is an addition or omission of work
as originally included in the bill of quantity which is prepared under
certain condition of contract.
1.7.6 FINAL PROJECT COST: This can be said to be the
initial cost i.e it is the cost incurred on a building project starting
from the inception up to the practical completion of a project.
1.7.7 SCALE: This is a term in building which is
numeric figure showing the relationship between the actual sizes of
something and a diagram which represent it.
1.7.8 CLAIM: Is a request by the contractor for
recompense for some loss or expenses that he has suffered or an attempt
to avoid the requirement to pay liquidated and ascertain damages.
1.7.9 FLUNCTUATION: It is the dramatic increase or decrease in the price of labour plants, and goods after the data of tender.
1.8.0 TIME OVERRUN: This is the increase in the length of time originally stipulated for a particular project.
1.8.1 REGRESSION ANALYSIS: This is a statistical
method which test the hypothesis about the linear relationship between
to variables and likewise for predictions.