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THE ROLE OF THE QUANTITY SURVEYING REGISTRATION BOARD OF NIGERIA IN ENFORCING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION

INDUSTRY
Professor Yakubu Ibrahim, Quantity Surveying Programme, School of Environmental Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi

Professionals are normally regulated by bodies specifically established for such purposes. The Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) is the regulatory body for the Quantity surveying profession in Nigeria. The Quantity surveying profession is concerned with financial probity, value- for- money, efficient allocation of resources and accountability in the conceptualization, planning and execution of construction projects. The Quantity Surveyor is the professional trained in construction measurement and costs and is the one who has been registered by the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria for the purpose of practicing Quantity Surveying in Nigeria. Corruption has been identified as the monster that has bedeviled the Nigerian nation in its quest for development. From birth, the country has been blessed with enormous human and materials resources but its growth has been stunted. Construction costs in Nigeria are among the most expensive in the world. Dikko (2011) has reiterated that national development cannot be achieved without pursuit of value-for-money in the procurement and execution of construction projects. Eteama (2011) has expressed the need for the Quantity surveying profession to ensure that: days of over-invoicing are over projects are properly evaluated in terms of quantity of materials required
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item prices must reflect prevailing market prices facts and data instead of guesswork should be used in all project costing robust database on materials, prices, equipments and charges are developed it collaborates effectively with key stakeholder institutions like the ICPC, NBS, BPP and other professional bodies in the construction industry.

Adebanjo (2012) has recommended two institutional frameworks for ensuring value- for money in the construction industry in Nigeria. These are: 1. The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria 2. The Anti-Corruption agencies (the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Commission and the Code of Conduct Bureau ) The Quantity Surveying Registration Board of Nigeria was established by the Federal Government by Decree No. 31 of December 5, 1986, now CAP 383, LFN 1990. According to the decree, the QSRBN shall be body corporate and shall have the following duties: 1. Determining who are Quantity Surveyors for the purposes of this decree; 2. Determining what standards of knowledge and skill are to attained by persons seeking to become registered as Quantity Surveyors and raising these standards from time to time as circumstances may permit; 3. Regulating and controlling the practice of the Quantity Surveying profession in all its aspects and ramifications; 4. Performing such other functions that may be conferred on the Board by the Decree.
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Subsequently, by this mandate, the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria 1. is the government-approved organ that registers Quantity Surveyors and Quantity Surveying firms in Nigeria; 2. establishes and maintains registers of persons and firms that had been approved to practice Quantity surveying in Nigeria; 3. is empowered to publish the names of the persons and firms so registered; 4. designs accreditation instruments and templates accredits quantity Surveying

programmes in Universities and Polytechnics; and 5. monitors the activities of all registered Quantity Surveyors and firms carrying-out quantity Surveying activities in Nigeria in order to ensure that the required ethics and integrity of the profession are maintained. Transparency implies openness, communication and accountability (Wikipedia Dictionary). Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. Public accountability pertains to the obligations of persons or entities entrusted with public resources to be answerable for the fiscal, managerial and program responsibilities that have been conferred on them, and to report to those that have conferred these responsibilities (Oluajo, 2012). As the watchdog of the Quantity Surveying profession in Nigeria, by default the QSRBN primarily ensures that Quantity Surveyors practicing in this country do so in as transparent and accountable manner as is possible. This is tandem with Boards mandate to Regulate and control the practice of the Quantity Surveying profession in all its aspects and ramifications. The code of conduct specifies standards of professional conduct for the Quantity Surveyor and prescribes

disciplinary measures for erring registered practitioners. Section 13 (1) to (7) of Decree establishing the Board sets out various penalties for professional misconduct. In order to assist in the fight against corruption, the QSRBN could establish three faculties that will ensure transparency and accountability in the procurement and execution of construction projects. These are: Maintenance of Statistical Cost Data for the Construction Industry The QSRBN should a statistical database on construction costs. Eteama (2011) has suggested the development of a strong Statistics division backed by intensive ICT application in the QSRBN, EFCC, ICPC, Code of Conduct Bureau, the Nigeria Police Force, National Bureau for Statistics, Bureau of Public Procurement, National Identity Management Board, etc that Local area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) are developed among these establishments to ensure real time online data sharing and transmission cost data required on regular basis will include but is not limited to i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. Retail prices of building materials Hire, sales, rent, and lease prices of construction equipments and machinery Categorized fees for professionals in the building and construction industry Wholesale prices and Producer prices Consumer Price Index and Wholesale Price Index Import Prices and Export Prices

The QSRBN could develop a computer estimating system that would estimate labour, plant and bill rates across the six geo-political zone. Harris and McCaffer have described computer aided computer estimating systems that have the following features: i. ii. iii. iv. v. Files of supporting information A range of methods of calculating item rates Recording files Facilities for adding mark-ups A comprehensive reporting system

Budgetary Planning and Cost Auditing The QSRBN could assist government in the budgeting of construction projects. Arah (2012) has highlighted the advantages of budgeting as follows: Budgetary planning facilitates the setting of cost limits and cost targets within the cost limit using appropriate cost information from similar past projects costs thereby ensuring that the project costs are reasonable and offer best value for money Budgetary planning which employs the use of cost control measures ensure that costs do not escalate during construction It facilitates comparison of like with like and any anomalies can be detected from inception and corrupt practices checked It guarantees that the client obtains the best value for money spent on projects

The QSRBN could undertake the auditing of government contracts. Contract auditing is a careful ordering of facts derived from relevant project contract documents, comprising drawings, specification schedules, Bills of Quantities, schedule of rates, conditions of contract, claims,
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estimates, cost projections and relevant correspondence relating events that transpired during the currency of the contract, in such a manner that tells the proper story of the state of affairs of the contractual relationship at the point of the study (Nigerian Institute of quantity Surveyors, 2000). Arah (2012) has recommended that; considering the huge amounts of money being spent on construction contracts, a third party Quantity Surveyor should be engaged for the purpose of inspecting and verifying the costs incurred in executing the project. The QSRBN could as well do that for government. Development of Project Costing Templates There is great evidence of cost overrun of costs of construction projects in Nigeria. There are apparent lapses on the degree of adoption and intensity of application of cost planning and cost control mechanisms in the nations construction projects (Chimdi, 2012). The QSRBN could develop construction costing templates for building and construction projects to provide realistic and comprehensive costing profiles for construction projects. These would be adopted by Quantity Surveyors in Nigeria for the purpose estimating construction costs.. These templates would provide a uniform basis for estimating construction costs in Nigeria; thereby eliminating wide the variability presently being encountered. Whistle-blowing on Corrupt Practices in the Construction Industry The QSRBN has machinery in place; that can receive petitions, complaints or allegations of corrupt or improper conduct made against participants in the Nigerian construction industry. Subsequently, the Board could liaise with the anti-graft agencies in taking action against such misconduct. Members of the Public are encouraged to report to the QSRBN; any instance where they observe such misconduct.
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CONCLUSION The Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria; as a body established by Decree No. 31 of December 5, 1986, now CAP 383, LFN 1990; to regulate and control the practice of Quantity Surveying in all its aspects and ramifications; is in the ideal position to offer measures that will ensure transparency and accountability in the procurement and execution of construction projects in Nigeria. The QSRBN could perform such role by keeping watch over the code of conduct of its registered practitioners, maintaining a robust computerized statistical system; assisting in budgetary planning for government and undertaking cost auditing of government projects; developing costing templates for construction projects; and encouraging whistle-blowing on corrupt practices in the construction industry in Nigeria.

REFERENCES Adebanjo, A. Institutional framework for achieving Value for Money in Construction Projects in Nigeria. Proceedings of the 1st National Project Cost Reduction Summit held 29th & 30th March, 2012 at Abuja, Pp. 18-23. Arah, G.O. (2012). Budgetary Planning and Cost Auditing as Panacea for High Project Cost in Nigeria. Proceedings of the 1st National Project Cost Reduction Summit held 29th & 30th March, 2012 at Abuja, Pp. 63-66. Chimdi, A.C. (2012). Developing Templates for Project Costing in Nigeria. Proceedings of the 1st National Project Cost Reduction Summit held 29th & 30th March, 2012 at Abuja, Pp. 24-34 Dikko, H.A. (2011). Welcome Address to the 1st Annual Building & Construction Economic Round-Table (BCERT 1) held 14th & 15th June, 2011 at Abuja Eteama, H.C. (2011). The Role of Statistics & Cost Data in the Anti-graft Crusade. Proceedings of the 2011 Quantity Surveying Assembly and Colloquium held 28th & 29th September, 2011 at Abuja, Pp. 43-47 Harris, F. and McCaffer, R. (2001). Modern Construction Management. Blackwell Science Ltd. (United Kingdom) Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (2000). Framework for Construction Contract Auditing. Publication of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Oluajo, B. (2012). Civil Society as Societal Watchdog in Promoting Public Accountability. Proceedings of the 1st National Project Cost Reduction Summit held 29th & 30th March, 2012 at Abuja, Pp. 35-38.

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