In line with the evolving roles of its profession, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has open up new frontiers and develop capacities of its members.
NIQS President, Olayemi Shonubi, who spoke at the 4th Edition of Job Fair themed, “Evolving Roles for the Quantity Surveyor in a Dynamic World: Issues, Prospects, Competencies and Capacities,” stressed the need for members to prepare themselves for emerging roles such as cost management, project mana gement, cost management in oil and gas installations.
He said the Job Fair was designed to match-make employers and job seekers, thereby providing the opportunity for instant recruitment.
Shonubi explained that the institute was committed to providing the atmosphere for young quantity surveyors to become gainfully employed, as well as employees seeking to change job positions; as part of efforts to contribute the Institute’s quota to the development of the economy.
According to him, the nation currently faced a huge challenge of providing enough good jobs for the entrants into the profession, and given the country’s rapidly growing population, the Institute felt challenged to drive the process of job creation and building career opportunities.
In his remarks at the event, the former governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, said that quantity surveying has gone beyond the traditional duties in the building construction industry and evolved to include determining project budgets, measuring project quantities, preparing contract documentation such as Bills of Quantities and cost control, administering contracts, and preparing final accounts.
Abubakar noted that development trends in the building economics that happened in the end of the 20th Century had significantly impacted and changed the rules in the quantity surveying profession.
He said: “Factors like market changes, construction industry and clients’ needs were accountable either as threats or opportunities, pushing the quantity surveying profession to remain relevant in the industry. While the dynamics of this profession cannot be undermined, the pace of accepting these changes to continue to exist in the future cannot be over emphasised.”
He advised practitioners to embrace the use of software and other technologies, which have proved to reduce the cost of services, reduce labour costs and save time.
On his part, keynote presenter and construction management consultant, Dr. Ifeanyi Obieje, tasked practitioners on evolving issues in the profession, which include sustainability, value engineering, e-procurement, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and climate change.
He observed that the country is experiencing problems of terrorism and general insecurity, adding that builders need to begin to design resilient houses.
Obieje noted that there are changes within the industry that are technically driven, and emphasised that technology should not be seen as threats but as opportunity for quantity surveyors to enhance their services to be relevant in the industry.