Assessing the impact of value management on the construction cost of projects in Uganda

Abstract

In Uganda construction clients are not achieving best value and efficiency in their projects in terms of budget, time, required quality, functions, aesthetic, image, safety and fitness for purpose. in Kampala, there are massive construction activities hence the need to maximize the potentials of VM practices in bid to control cost overruns. Therefore, the research aimed at finding out the extent of use of the VM practices on projects, there use by the construction professionals in consulting firms and likely impact on the project sums and the VM practices. The methodology used in this research involved the use of structured questionnaires to seek for opinions from a sample of 64 construction professionals in consulting firms who were selected using a stratified sampling technique. The findings from this research show that respondents were familiar with value management. The research further established that the VM practices in use included, prepare logistically for the value study, determine team composition, collect data, draft a scope and objective for the value study, establish evaluation factors, Prioritize the problems, Assess the potential gains for resolving each of these problems and Identifying the specific problems to be addressed. Establish workshop rules of the road, Finalize the problem and the associated facts Determine the best opportunities for improvement, develop function relationships, refine study scope, Determine the functions, Classify the functions. Generate alternative ideas, discourage creativity inhibitors, Establish ground rules. Select ideas for further development, Rank the ideas, List the advantages and disadvantages of each Idea, Group similar ideas, eliminate low potential ideas, Establish idea champions. Conduct a life-cycle cost analysis, Determine the most beneficial alternatives, Develop implementation plans. Preparation of a presentation. Prepare a written report, Follow-up, Prioritize the problems, Enhance the probability of approval. Upon application of VM on a project, there is a positive correlation between construction cost before project execution and construction cost after project execution.