Assessment of materials management on building projects in Ondo State, Nigeria

The control of materials on construction sites is handled carelessly by planning and purchasing departments, site supervisors and engineers as well as contractor’s organization and this have been posing various problems to contractors in realizing reasonable profit margin. The research centered on the assessment of materials management on building projects in Ondo-State Nigeria. This study assessed the current practices of managing materials on building projects, the problems associated with materials management and measures for managing materials in building projects in Ondo state. The study was carried out through the administration of questionnaire to professionals in both consulting and contracting firms and data collected were analyzed using percentile and mean item score. The study reveals that purchasing of materials, material planning method and transportation of materials are the most common practices of materials Management. The most severe problem militating against materials management was lack of proper work planning and scheduling while other problems include inadequate cash flow to contractors due to delayed payments, burglary, theft and vandalism. The study recommends that management should improve their supervision on site, materials should be adequately handled when delivered, care should be given to materials handling process and more awareness should be given to the knowledge of materials management on building projects most especially on construction sites