Conference participants in a photograph with some traditional leaders
The Quantity Surveying Division of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors has advocated for integrating value management towards public infrastructure projects, right from the onset to ensure value for money.
According to the group, the implementation of this will ensure that all stakeholders, including government and professional surveyors, are involved from the inception of procurement towards public infrastructural projects through to completion, in order to avoid shoddy works and promote value for clients and other stakeholders.
This is part of other issues being discussed by the Division at its ongoing 2025 Quantity Surveying Division Conference at Cape Coast in the Central Region, under the theme: “Integrating Value Engineering into Infrastructural Procurement.”
Close to 300 Quantity Surveyors are taking part in this year’s annual general meeting.
The conversation is taking place at the time government is about to implement its flagship ‘Big Push’ project, an estimated $10 billion national infrastructural development programme.
Quantity Surveyors play a crucial role in value management, working together to optimise project outcomes.
The Ghanaian construction industry plays a central role in the country’s socio-economic development by providing the infrastructure backbone for health, education, housing, energy, and transportation.
However, the industry continues to grapple with recurring challenges, including cost overruns, delays, poor-quality delivery, limited use of local materials, and inadequate consideration of sustainability throughout project life cycles.
These problems often stem from procurement practices that prioritise the lowest initial cost over long-term value, as well as the limited integration of structured cost-management tools.
These and many other challenges have informed the theme for this year’s meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, President of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, Surv. Kofi Obeng Ayirebi, noted that value engineering is not just about cutting costs at the expense of quality, but rather about optimising function, improving performance, and maximising value for every cedi spent during project execution.
Chairman of the Quantity Surveying Division of the Institute, Surv. Osei Agyemang-Badu, also drew government’s attention to focusing on meeting the expectations of clients and, in this case, the public, rather than just the money invested in projects.
The Chairperson of the Continuous Professional Development Sub-Committee, Quantity Surveyors Division, Dr. Naa Adjeley A. Doamekpor, on her part, expressed concern about the many issues the public has been raising regarding the quality of public infrastructure, which could mean the public may not be getting the value they seek.
According to her, the conference is deliberating on how to ensure that the public get value, especially when it comes to public infrastructural projects.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak