MATERIALS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON PORT HARCOURT CONSTRUCTION SITES

MATERIALS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ON PORT HARCOURT CONSTRUCTION SITES

ABSTRACT

The current economic crisis has widened the gap between resources requirements to meet planned goals and the projected availability of funds for construction projects. Ineffective materials management has become a source of problem to successful construction project management, because materials take about 65 percent of the total cost of a construction project.

In this study, fifty construction professionals provided the data on materials management in construction industry using Port Harcourt as the sampling site. Questionnaires were used to collect data from three main groups of project participants. (clients, consultants and contractors). The critical factors of materials management were summarized into five basic variables namely materials planning, material procurement, material handling, material storage and material usage. Six basic questions were asked on each and the numerical summation of the ratings of a respondent formed the observed value for the variable for that particular respondent. The same was done for the assessment of the state materials management as applicable to construction industry in Nigeria, which formed the dependent variable Y. The summary of the field data was subjected to statistical analysis. The result of the analysis showed that of the five factors, only three (planning, procurement and usage) were statistically established as being critical to materials management efforts for construction project to the level of 77.8%.

The study therefore, concludes that materials handling and storage efforts though important to materials management in construction projects should be de-emphasized since good planning, procurement and usage procedure will incorporate them.