Key factors affecting the competence of quantity surveyors Evidence from construction industry stakeholders in Nigeria

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors affecting quantity surveyors' competence with a view to reducing them to key components. Design/methodology/approach - The research adopts a data reduction system using the factor analysis statistical technique. A structured questionnaire was administered among major stakeholders in the Nigerian construction industry. The respondents were asked to give ratings on a 5- point Likert scale on factors affecting the competence of quantity surveyors. Based on the identified 11 factor variables, factor analysis was used to explore and detect the underlying relationship among the identified variables. Important measures such as Bartlett's test of sphericity, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling accuracy and measure of sampling adequacy were used to test the appropriateness of the factor extraction. Findings - The data reduction results in three key factor components: organization structure and team development, industrial exposure and route of educational training. Practical implications - The findings provide a considerable insight into the issue of factors affecting quantity surveyors' competence and could have considerable implications on the training of quantity surveyors in Nigeria. Originality/value - The paper provides information on major factors influencing the competence of quantity surveyors and the resulting implications on the training, development and practice of quantity surveying in Nigeria.