Barriers to the Uptake of Technology in the Quantity Surveying Industry

Authors: Mnisi Blessing, Christopher Amoah

Abstract:

The usage of modern technology is widespread in industrialised nations. The issue still pertains to developing countries since they struggle to use technology in the building sector. The study aims to identify the barriers to technology usage in quantity surveying firms. Quantity Surveyors were interviewed via Microsoft teams due to the dispersed nature of the participants. However, where the interview was not possible, the interview guide was emailed to the participants to fill in. In all, 12 participants were interviewed out of the 25 participants contacted. The data received were analysed using the content analysis process. The study's findings demonstrate that quantity surveyors have access to a wide range of technology that significantly enhances their project activities. However, quantity surveying companies are hesitant to use technology for several reasons, including the cost and maintenance associated with it. Other obstacles include a lack of knowledge, poor market acceptance, legal obstacles, and budgetary constraints. Despite the advantages associated with modern technology applications, quantity surveying firms are not using them, which may ultimately affect their work output. Therefore, firms need to re-examine these obstacles, inhibiting their adoption of technology in the work process to enhance their production. The study reveals the main hindrances to technology usage, which may help firms institute measures to address them.

Keywords: Technology usage barriers, technology implementation, technology acceptance, quantity surveying.

References:

[1] A. Olatunji, “Risk Associated with the Use of Software's for Quantity Surveying Practices in South West Nigeria”, 2012, Durban University of Technology.
[2] T. Haupt and N. Sanjivi, “The threat of technology to the way quantity surveying is practised in KwaZulu-Natal”, In: 10th Built Environment Conference, Port Elizabeth, 2016, pp.26-30.
[3] T. Osunsanmi, C. Aigbavboa and A. Oke, “Construction 4.0: The future of Construction Industry in South Africa”, International Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vol. 12(3), 2018, pp.150-153. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1315923
[4] T. Zingoni, “Deconstructing South Africa's construction industry performance - The Mail & Guardian”, 2020. (online) The Mail & Guardian. Available at: https://mg.co.za/opinion/2020-10-19-deconstructing-south-africas-construction-industry-performance/ (Accessed 27 August 2021).
[5] M. Loosemore, “The Impact of Technology on Employment in Construction – Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Property”, 2016. (online) Sourceable.net. Available at: https://sourceable.net/impact-technology-employment-construction/ (Accessed 22 August 2021).
[6] O. Olatunji, J. Lee, H. Chong, and A. Akanmu, “Building information modelling (BIM) penetration in quantity surveying (QS) practice”, Built Environment Project and Asset Management, Vol. 11(5), 2021, pp.888-902. DOI: 10.1108/BEPAM-08-2020-0140
[7] B. Thompson and A. Waller, “Report for Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors”, (ebook) London: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, 2017, pp.6-9. Available at: https://www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/media/knowledge/research/insights/impact-of-emerging-technologies-on-the-surveying-profession-rics.pdf (Accessed 18 October 2021).
[8] G. Kekana, C. Aigbavboa and W. Thwala, “Understanding Building Information Modelling in the South Africa construction industry”, In: OTMC2015 Conference. (online) Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg, 2015, pp.2-4. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/54199032.pdf (Accessed 18 October 2021).
[9] N. Ismail, R. Drogemuller, S. Beazley and R. Owen, A Review of BIM Capabilities for Quantity Surveying Practice. MATEC Web of Conferences, Vol. 66(4), 2016, pp.1-6. DOI: 10.1051/matecconf/20166 IBCC 2016 600042
[10] A. Sattineni and R. Bradford, “Estimating with BIM: a survey of us construction companies”, The International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction, Vol. 1, 2011, pp.564-569. DOI: 10.22260/ISARC2011/0103
[11] J. Wao and I. Flood, “The role of quantity surveyors in the international construction arena”, International Journal of Construction Management, Vol. 16(2), 2016, pp.126-137. DOI: 10.1080/15623599.2016.1142251
[12] R. Stanley and D. Thurnell, “The benefits of, and barriers to, implementation of 5D BIM for quantity surveying in New Zealand”, Construction Economics and Building, Vol. 14(1), 2014, pp.105-117.
[13] S. Wu, G. Wood, K. Ginige and S. Jong, “A technical review of BIM based cost estimating in uk quantity surveying practice, standards and tools”, Journal of Information Technology in Construction, Vol. 19, 2014, pg. 534 - 563
[14] D. Bryde, M. Broquetas and J. Volm, “The project benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM)”, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 31(7), 2013, pp.971-980. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.12.001
[15] C. Gee, “The influence of building information modelling on the quantity surveying profession”, Honours. 2010, University of Pretoria.
[16] A. Marefat, H. Toosi and H. R. Mahmoudi, “A BIM approach for construction safety: applications, barriers and solutions”, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 26(9), 2018, pp.1855-1877. DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-01-2017-0011
[17] Y. Lingam, “Influence of technologies like BIM, SAP and other tools for enhancement of quality and productivity of the organisation based on lean manufacturing techniques”, International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology, Vol. 4(4), 2018, p.133.
[18] Y. Xu, Y. Zhou, P. Sekula and L. Ding, “Machine learning in construction: From shallow to deep learning”, Developments in the Built Environment, Vol. 6, 2021, p.1. DOI: 10.1016/j.dibe.2021.100045
[19] R. Eadie, H. Odeyinka, M. Browne and M. Yohanis, “An analysis of the drivers for adopting building information modelling”, Journal of Information Technology in Construction, Vol. 13, 2013, pp.340-345.
[20] K. Agyekum, J. Ayarkwa and A. Acheampong, “Incorporating information technology in Quantity Surveying practice in Ghana: Challenges and Benefits”, International Journal of Engineering, Vol. 13(4), 2015, pp.49-52
[21] D. Kadiri and E. Ayodele, Constraints to Quantity Surveying Awareness in Nigeria. Civil and Environmental Research, Vol. 3(11), 2013, pp.6-8.
[22] A. Aibinu, “Building Information Modelling Implementation in Practice: Lessons learned from a housing project in the Netherlands”, In: International Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction Management. Melbourne: Kandy, 2015, pp.1-5.
[23] M. Mayouf, M. Gerges and S. Cox, “5D BIM: an investigation into the integration of quantity surveyors within the BIM process”, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 17(3), 2019, pp.537-553. DOI: 10.1108/JEDT-05-2018-0080
[24] O. Akinshipe, C. Aigbavboa, A. Oke, and M. Sekati, “Transforming Quantity Surveying Firms in South Africa Through Digitalisation”, International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics, Vol. 267, 2021, PP.256-259. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80876-1_33
[25] S. Babatunde, D. Ekundayo, O. Babalola and J. Jimoh, “Analysis of the drivers and benefits of BIM incorporation into quantity surveying profession”, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 16(5), 2018, pp.750-766. DOI: 10.1108/JEDT-04-2018-0058
[26] N. Musa, T. Oyebisi and M. Babalola, “A study of the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) on the quality of quantity surveying services in Nigeria”, Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, Vol. 42(1), 2010, pp. 1-9. DOI: 10.1002/j.1681-4835.2010.tb00303.x
[27] J.O. Dada and N.A. Musa, “Key factors affecting the competence of quantity surveyors: evidence from construction industry stakeholders in Nigeria”, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 14(3), 2016, pp. 461-474. DOI: 10.1108/JEDT-09-2014-0060
[28] F.J. Sabongi, “The integration of BIM in the undergraduate curriculum: an analysis of undergraduate courses", Proceedings of the 45th Annual Conference of ASC, Gainesville, FL. 2009.
[29] P. Bhandari, “How to create a research design” 2021, (online) Available at: https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/research-design/ (Accessed 26 October 2021).
[30] N. Sanjivi, The impact of technological innovation on the role of the quantity surveyor in industry. Thesis (Masters'). Durban: University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2017.
[31] M. Bengtsson, “How to plan and perform a qualitative study using content analysis”, Nursing Plus Open, Vol. 2(4), 2016, pp.8-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.npls.2016.01.001