Studies have shown that adoption of sustainable construction practice would result in a substantial reduction in the greenhouse emissions from the construction industry. Evolving a sustainable development practice is an emergent concern for the construction industry in both developing and developed countries. Sustainable construction is concerned with site planning and design, community, indoor air quality, energy, materials, water, commissioning and marketability for the benefit of mankind. This requires enormous efforts from all the stakeholders in the industry. Sustainable construction efforts in the Nigerian construction industry have been ineffective as a result of a number of barriers that prevent a smooth transition to sustainable construction practice in the country. The aim of this study is to assess the potential barriers that hinder effective adoption of sustainable construction practice in the Nigerian Construction Industry, with a view to exploring how these barriers can be overcome and thereby achieving sustainable construction in the country. A cross-sectional questionnaire was adopted for the survey. Purposive sampling technique was used to elicit 105 copies of questionnaires from various construction professionals based in Lagos state, Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, relative importance index and ranking. The results revealed that key barriers to sustainable construction in the Nigerian Construction Industry are poor government support for sustainable construction, lack of relevant laws and regulations to drive sustainable construction, lack of demand for sustainable construction from clients, low level of awareness of sustainable construction and fear of the cost of adopting sustainable construction. Based on the findings from this study, it was recommended that government should assume a greater role in the popularisation and application of sustainable strategy. The barriers identified and the suggestions made to minimize barriers to the adoption of sustainable construction in Nigeria should offer an enabling environment for stakeholders in construction sector to smoothly adopt sustainable construction for the benefit of humanity.   Keywords: adoption, barriers, construction industry, Nigeria, sustainable construction

The occurrence of claims prevails in all projects, making the successful completion of projects within the predetermined budget a mirage. This is recognized to have added to costs of projects and adversely affected project performance. This paper aims at investigating critical factors influencing occurrence of claims in building projects in Lagos State, Nigeria. Forty-three (43) construction project attributes affecting project performance were identified through literature and presented to the key stakeholders in the study area using questionnaire survey. Two hundred and seventy-six (276) copies of the questionnaire were randomly administered to key stakeholders involved in the building construction process. One hundred and fifty-one (151) were retrieved representing 57.61% response rate. Principal component analysis of responses to a set of 43 characteristics identified through literature review extracted four components. The results indicated important factors such as: ‘Project Participant Characteristics’, ‘Basic Project Characteristic’, ‘Procurement Characteristics’, along with ‘Complexity Characteristics’ were factors influencing the occurrence of claims. It was concluded that the construction stakeholders should effectively manage these factors in minimising claims occurrence and thereby improving building projects delivery.

Aims: Across the globe, outsourcing services has become more complex and sophisticated. The aim of this study is to establish the level of satisfaction of Nigerian construction firms on outsourced services at construction phase of building with a view to assisting construction firms in their decision on whether to outsourced a particular work section or not. Study Design: Survey Research Design. Place and Duration of Study: The study took place in Ogun State, Nigeria, between June 2019 and December 2019. Methodology: The study focused on outsourcing and targeted at outsourcing services offered during construction phase of building. The research combined a wide-ranging literature review and questionnaire survey. A well-structured questionnaire was designed and distributed to construction firms in Ogun state. A total of 73 of the survey questionnaires were administered out of which 47 representing 64.4% were adequately filled and returned. Data obtained were analysed using frequency, percentage, mean, relative importance index and ranking. Results: Findings from the study revealed that piling is the most often outsourced work during construction phase of building, followed by electrical installation, cladding and mechanical installation. The results of the study revealed major reasons for outsourcing to include specialization, technology advancement and core competences. Ability to meet changing needs, service-level contract agreement with outsourcer and excessive dependence on vendor reliability were revealed to be the major challenges that affect the ability of the Nigerian construction firms to successfully outsource services. It was also established that Nigerian construction firms have high level of satisfaction on the outsourced services during the construction phase of building. Conclusion: The study suggested that Nigerian construction firms should give consideration to piling, cladding, basement and mechanical installation in outsourcing and concreting, formwork, plumbing installation and roofing in in-house.

The largest clients of Construction Industry (CI) in developing countries around the world are their respective governments. However, the CI in this clime is dominated by small and medium sized construction firms (SMSCFs). The aim of this study was to assess retention on valuation in the industry from the clients‟ perspective, with a view to improving financial performance of SMSCFs. Survey and non-probabilistic convenience sampling technique were adopted and data were obtained from industry stakeholders operating in Lagos. A total of fifty questionnaires validly completed were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Programme for Social Sciences) software Forty-four percent of the respondents have work experience in companies whose approximate annual turnover was < N 100m < N 500m. Finding shows that release of retention suffered from delay to outright non-payment of the retention monies and the retention practice of the three tiers of government is non-discriminatory of category of contractors. In conclusion, either delay or outright non-payment of retention monies on valuation will add to financial difficulty of SMSCFs Also, the retention policy of government, applying five (5) percent flat on their project does not consider the financial capacity of SMSCFs and latter‟s potential to contribute and grow the gross domestic product.