APPRAISING THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS PRICE FLUCTUATION ON BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROJECT DELIVERY IN ABUJA METROPOLIS

Abstract

The developmental nature of Abuja metropolis makes it crystal clear that construction project development will continue to be a priority. However, the persistent and unabated rise in construction material prices has led to delay in the delivery of construction projects and in some cases, projects abandonment which has to a large extent stalled the developmental stride of the metropolis. This study thus, appraises the causes and effects of construction materials price fluctuation on Built Environment (BE) project delivery in Abuja metropolis, with an aim to providing mitigating measures. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 331 construction professionals within Abuja metropolis BE and 293 were properly filled and returned. Frequency, Percentile and Mean Index Score (MIS) were employed to rank the severity of the identified causes, effects and the mitigating measures. The findings of this study revealed that building material price inflation, instability of crude oil prices and suppliers materials hoarding are the top factors causing changes to construction material prices with mean scores of 4.78, 4.76 and 4.66 respectively, while market condition instability, increment in the duration of contract period and poor project management are the top effect of construction materials price fluctuation on the metropolis BE project delivery. This study concluded that, clear plans and strategies before starting a project, implementation of effective materials management policies and thorough cross checking of estimates based on the updated price information as the top mitigating measures for cushioning the effect of construction materials price fluctuation on Abuja metropolis BE. This study therefore, recommended that, satisfactory considerations of these mitigating measures are imperative to enhancing the delivery of construction projects within Abuja BE on the side of the contractor. Subsequently, on the side of the government, there is need to increase local production capacity and maintain the stability of exchange rates. The practical implication of this is that, construction professionals can deliver projects to the complete satisfaction of all stakeholders within Abuja metropolis