A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) AND ITS UTILISATION DURING THE PRE-CONTRACT PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

ABSTRACT: This study assessed the methods that the design team members use to manage the information that is based on the cost (client’s budget) of the project, and also their efficacy. It also examined factors limiting members of the design team from adopting modern information management methods. In addition, it examined the attitudes of design  team members towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and sought to discover how the design team members rated the local industry’s ICT standards against ICT standards of foreign industries. Structured questionnaires captured data, which were analyzed using percentages. In addition, the mean value of the responses was also calculated based on the weighting attached to the responses provided by each category of design professionals studied. The findings of this research indicated that design team members (84.44%), store their information via a combination of hard and soft copy. Also, the design professionals (71.11%) are not hindered from adopting modern information management practices, and they are proficient (approximate mean value of 3) in using computerized information management tools. More facts obtained from this research showed that design professionals (approximate grand mean value of 3) believe that modern information management tools are effective and efficient in managing information. They (approximate grand mean of 4), also rate the domestic industry’s ICT standards as poor. The work concludes that the ICT standards in the domestic construction industry is low and needs to be brought to par with the standards possessed by industrialized nations. To achieve this, it is recommended that design professionals should be encouraged to fully automate their information management and shift away from “paper based” information management practices.