The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors has raised concerns that the Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation is being exploited as a tool to perpetuate corruption in construction projects across the country.
They raised this at a 3-Day Engineering Workshop recently held in Lagos, themed “Bridging Competence Gaps in Engineering Construction: Strategies for Cost and Risk Optimisation in Oil and Gas sector.”
The Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Lagos Chapter, Rilwan Balogun, said the Building Engineering Measurement and Evaluation hijacked by engineers has caused a lot of problems for quantity surveys, leading to corruption.
He said, “This hijack by engineers has caused a lot of problems. For example, there’s this document referred to as BEME-Building Engineering Measurement and Evaluation. Globally, the recognised document is the Bill of Quantities, not this BEME. In fact, I must tell you that it is only in Nigeria that this document called BEME is recognised. It is really affecting us as quantity surveyors. When we approach certain parastatals, government agencies, or even private organisations and ask for BoQs, they respond by asking for BEMEs. When we ask, ‘What is BEME?’ they tell us that it is the standard, even though it really isn’t.
“BEME is essentially a vague document. It just states ‘lots, lots, lots.’
At the end of the day, you see a project valued at N10bn or N20bn without any detailed breakdown. Hence, they are inflating the figures because when it’s written as ‘lots,’ there is no detailed breakdown.
But quantity surveyors would itemise everything, element by element, from the substructure to the finishing. That’s our job. But they know that once quantity surveyors come in, their scheme collapses. The BEME, frankly, is a tool for corruption. However, when everything is just tagged as ‘lots,’ how do you verify or investigate? When someone claims to have excavated a certain number of kilometers for N10bn, how do you verify it? There’s no way, unless you physically return to the site to measure. But quantity surveyors don’t work like that. We take real-time, precise measurements. We calculate actual volumes and give accurate figures, so that anyone reviewing the document can see whether the figures are padded or not.
“But with the BEME, you can’t do that. That’s why I say it is a tool for corruption. And yes, I know many engineers will come for me if they hear this, but it’s the truth. You can’t be quoting ‘lots’ for something that can be measured. You only use ‘lots’ for things that are intangible or not measurable. Even at that, in our bill of quantities, we don’t use the word ‘lots.’ We use the term provisional sums. What it means is that by the time you get to the actual site, you must take exact measurements. Only then can we carry out a precise evaluation. Sometimes, the actual cost may even be less than the provisional sum, which results in savings for the client. But we always provide an amount that sufficiently covers the estimated cost, just to be safe. However, “In the case of engineers, once it’s written as ‘lots,’ that’s it. Once the contract is signed, there is no question of returning unused funds, and that’s one of the reasons they are fiercely resisting the involvement of quantity surveyors in engineering works.”
In a similar vein, the Public Relations Secretary, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, John Agbezin, said the absence of quantity surveyors is already costing the nation in construction projects in every sector.
“Engineers have been hijacking roles that rightly belong to quantity surveyors, largely because we are fewer in number compared to engineers. However, we have been actively creating awareness as a profession. The absence of quantity surveyors is already costing the nation in construction projects in every sector. Every day we witness mismanaged projects, rampant corruption, and numerous abandoned sites. The procurement process is flawed, with unqualified contractors often selected. Given our expertise and training, quantity surveyors are best suited to handle cost management and contract administration, ensuring only the most competent are chosen.
“If you look at the Building Engineering Measurement and Evaluation, what I often call ‘quotation,’ you’ll notice that many items are just lumped together. There’s no breakdown. But with a Bill of Quantities prepared by a quantity surveyor, everything is detailed and itemised, you see exactly what each element costs and how rates are applied. This breakdown brings clarity and transparency.
“Unlike BEME, which just lumps everything into a single figure, the Bill of Quantities ensures you know exactly what you’re paying for. That’s why BEME is not the best tool for transparency, it can easily aid corruption. Yes, it can be a very big tool for corruption because it lacks openness. As quantity surveyors, our work is rooted in transparency and integrity. When details are clear, there’s no room to sugarcoat anything. That’s why we are the best suited in the built environment for this role,” he stated.
Corroborating the above, a past Chairman of NIQS, Lagos Chapter, Olujide Oke, said in construction, a quantity surveyor preparing a Bill of Quantities will do so differently from an engineer, adding that the bill would be more detailed.
He asserted, “You can get better value for money that way, as opposed to when an engineer prepares it. That’s because that is what Quantity Surveyors are trained to do. So, if you have experts managing their specific areas of responsibility, the losses will be reduced, and the losses will be curtailed. Yes, we know that some of these roles are being hijacked by other professionals who are part of the problem. Nonetheless, if quantity surveyors are allowed to carry out their responsibilities, we are going to save a lot of money for these organisations.
“Even for the organisations themselves, because most of them use third-party vendors and other professionals. Of course, they manage contracts, they handle pre-contract and post-contract processes, and all of that. But a quantity surveyor is trained in all aspects of contract administration. That is part of our job.
“For those who are not yet engaging Quantity Surveyors, they are missing a lot, they are losing a lot of resources. And that is one of the reasons why we must continue to emphasise the need for Quantity Surveyors to be involved in areas that concern engineering, construction, oil and gas, and manufacturing, among others.”
