Application of client’s quantity surveying practices in the power sector in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The effective use of Quantity Surveying practices is vital for the construction sector and its contribution to the overall economic growth and development of the country. With today’s competitive economy, the profession has been identified as paramount in a broad range of development sectors. In Sri Lanka, Quantity Surveyors’ involvement is limited to the construction stage of power generation and distribution projects as Consultant’s Quantity Surveying and Contractor’s Quantity Surveying practices. With the amplification of the power sector, cost and time overruns have been identified in power generation and distribution projects due to the absence of cost plans and the poor documentation of bids and contracts, leading to disputes, legal costs and poor administration of projects. Therefore, the involvement of Client’s Quantity Surveyors in power sector projects has been identified as important. This is an emerging path for Quantity Surveyors to contribute their expertise in Sri Lankan public sector developments projects. In this context, the study investigated the applicability of client’s quantity surveying practices in the Sri Lankan power sector. A mix research approach was adopted in the study including a preliminary survey and a questionnaire survey. The findings of preliminary survey were analyzed with content analysis technique. Data collected through questionnaire survey were analyzed using Relative Importance Index. It was identified that non-involvement of client’s Quantity surveyors in the Sri Lankan power sector is due to the lack of recognition of the requirement of the profession in the sector and execution of duties demanding quantity surveying expertise by other professionals in the power sector.