Minimising Variations and Fluctuations in Housing Delivery in the Developing Economy of Nigeria

QS ESTHER OLUWAFOLAKEMI OLA-ADE, Nigeria

Housing is unarguably one of the basic necessities of man. It is ranked second after food in the hierarchy of man’s needs. The housing need in Nigeria increases by the day, whereas the vast majority of the population lacks the wherewithal to make effective demand on housing. It is estimated that Nigeria has a housing deficit of 22 million units. The private sector, which is the major supplier of housing in Nigeria, faces a number of problems inhibiting it from meeting the ever increasing needs. The complex nature of construction compound even the most intricate management systems. This organizational characteristic of the construction industry makes construction projects complex and prone to changes or variations during the construction phase. Variations are inevitable on building and civil engineering projects and may range from small changes having little consequential effects to major revisions, which result to inconsiderable delay, and/or disruption to the project.Fluctuation of prices of materials and delays in project completion are common problems in the construction industry not only with an immeasurable cost to society but also with debilitating effects on the contracting parties. This paper analyses the nature and causes of both Variations and Fluctuations in housing project delivery with their resultant effects and concludes that although changes in the construction–housing projects can sometimes be inevitable, all parties and stakeholders should strive to reduce them to the barest minimum in order to minimise variations and Fluctuations in housing delivery. The paper concludes that although changes (variations and fluctuations) in the construction – housing projects are inevitable, all parties and stakeholders should strive to reduce it to the barest minimum in order to give the client value for money.

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Document type:Minimising Variations and Fluctuations in Housing Delivery in the Developing Economy of Nigeria (262 kB - pdf)