The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has constituted a working group made up of experts from the built environment to develop realistic budgets for infrastructure projects.
The team includes professionals from the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, Ghana Institute of Architects and Ghana Institution of Engineering, as well as representatives from the Building and Road Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the PPA.
The activities of the group will be coordinated by a PPA member acting as moderator.
The Chief Executive Officer of the PPA, Frank Mante, disclosed this on the sidelines of a meeting between the PPA of Ghana and that of the Kingdom of Lesotho in Accra last Monday.
He said the initiative would allow professionals to determine the actual cost of infrastructure projects undertaken by the government.
According to Mr Mante, the decision follows persistent challenges in project costing and implementation.
He noted that some entities rely on arbitrary estimation methods that lack credibility, often resulting in inflated project costs.
Mr Mante explained that in some cases, contractors bid for projects based on approved estimates, only to realise during execution that actual construction costs exceed the contract sum, leading to delays and poor-quality work.
“A contractor awarded a road project may begin work smoothly, only to discover that sections of the road are too muddy and require excavation and filling with boulders, which were not captured in the original scope. This adds unexpected costs and delays,” he said.
He added that the move to involve experts was intended to address such challenges in infrastructure budgeting.
Mr Mante said the team would review the existing Unit Cost of Infrastructure Estimator Tool (Ucol-ET), assess its scope across different infrastructure types and propose improvements to enhance its functionality.
Key areas to be reviewed include cost estimation, project budgeting, data validation, error-handling mechanisms, as well as security and data integrity.
He further indicated that the team would work towards converting the tool into a web-based platform accessible to stakeholders within Ghana’s construction industry and beyond.
Mr Mante explained that although the PPA would not be directly involved in the group’s work, it would provide oversight through a moderator.
The team comprises quantity surveyors, an architect, civil and electrical engineers, and a representative from the Authority’s due diligence unit.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
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