A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) ON THE QUALITY OF QUANTITY SURVEYING SERVICES IN NIGERIA

The study drew on Service Quality Model (SERVQUAL) to evaluate the effect of ICT on the quality of services of Quantity Surveying Practicing firms in the Nigerian Construction Industry. The major objective was to determine the suitability of the Technological Innovation as a tool for improving the quality of the services of the firms in the country. Towards this end, relevant data were obtained through questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of forty-eight (48) architects, thirty-five (35) engineers (all clients’ representatives) and thirty-two (32) contractors selected randomly from the lists of one-hundred and fifty-one (151) construction professionals and fifty-eight (58)contractors the firms had worked with during both pre and post adoption of ICT periods. Oral interview was also conducted on the respondents to complement the information obtained from the questionnaire survey. The SERVQUAL scores of the services of the firms prior to the adoption of the technological innovation was compared with the post adoption scores using Mann-Whitney U-Test at ninety-five percent (95%) confidence level. The results of the test revealed that the SERVQUAL scores of the services of the firm after the adoption of the technology were significantly greater than the SERVQUAL scores of their services prior to its adoption. Thus, the adoption of the technological innovation has enhanced the quality of the services of the firms in the Nigerian Construction Industry. The study concluded that ICT is a suitable tool for improving the quality of quantity surveying services in the country.