Influence of Logistics on Material Procurement for Construction Projects in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Inefficient material procurement due to poor logistics management is one of the substantial causes of time and materials wastes in the construction industry. This study assessed the influence of logistics on material procurement for construction projects in Abuja. Data were obtained from selected construction firms in Abuja usingwell-structured questionnaire administered on74 respondents.Mean Item Score (MIS) and Spearman’s rank correlation were employed for the analysis of data. It was found that“Competence of procurement officer” and “Quality”werethe most critical components required for material procurement (MIS = 4.43 and 4.39 respectively); “Transportation” and “warehousing”werethe major factors affecting material procurement (average MIS = 4.29 and 4.23 respectively);relationship between critical components required for material procurement and major logistics factors affecting material procurement was weak, positive and non-significant (R = 14.8%), and “Training of procurement and management staff” and “Managing of relationship with suppliers”were the most effective strategies for reducing cost of material procurement on construction sites (MIS =4.80 and 4.75 respectively). It was concluded that the influence of logistics on materials procurement is not statistically significant. Procurement officers with good pricing and negotiation skills should therefore be appointed formaterial procurement.