Standard of Materials Specifications, their Implementation and Enforcement on Building Construction Projects in Nigeria

Specifications, as drivers of good standard of construction, are suffused with a lot of challenges in Nigeria. The main aim of the study was to assess the quality of materials specifications in Nigeria and their effect on standard of Nigerian construction. The objectives of the study were to examine the contents of specification clauses and to appraise their implementation and enforcement. Three surveys were carried out including, survey of specification documents to generate data on the content and quality of specification clauses, questionnaire survey of specification writers and users to generate data on specifications writing and implementation and market survey to obtain data on the availability of specified materials in the market. The surveys carried out during the study revealed that many important specifications details are frequently left out, there are no regular market surveys to ascertain the availability of the materials specified, the legal framework for the enforcement of specifications is weak, poor quality specifications and their inadequate enforcement give rise to frequent cases of rework and dissatisfaction of clients. All these undermine the standard of building construction in Nigeria.