An Assessment of the Level of Adoption of Information Communication Technology by Local Building Contractors During Project Implementation (A Case for Kenya)

Abstract

In the competitive market of the construction industry, construction firms attempt to implement projects within the least cost and time, and the highest quality. One of the factors that has been established to affect these parameters is the utilization of ICT. Many ICT platforms have been developed to help in execution of projects. Kenyan construction firms have attempted to utilize several of them; however, the level to which this has been achieved in the Kenyan context is not clear. This research explored the opportunities that exist and the level of adoption of ICT in Kenya. This was achieved by first exploring how construction industries in developed countries have adopted ICT in their construction project performance as a basis for ICT potential. A thorough study was carried out through literature review which established that there are varieties of ICT platforms available for use by Kenyan building contractors during construction project implementation and the main ones include. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Pocket PCs, Desk top PCs, PDA- based mobile computing system, Laptops, RFIDbased( Radio frequency identification), Smart phone application, Telematics digital work bench, iPhone –based “construction equipment finder”, Mobile collaboration tool and Mobile phone- based graphical user interface. Eighty construction firms were then selected mainly in class NCA1 and NCA2 through sampling. Questionnaires were distributed to different professionals, supervisors and workers engaged by firm owners and who are directly involved with these projects. The responses were analyzed and a narrative interpretation developed which established that there is low level of ICT adoption especially in the area of cost control, site security, planning and scheduling. Factors hindering higher levels of adoption were also established and the main ones are rapid changes in ICT technologies, high cost of employing ICT professionals and high cost of employing ICT professionals in that order. A secondary questionnaire was developed whose analyzed results were used to develop a model that can be used to increase levels of ICT adoption by Kenyan building contractors during project implementation. The study recommended that Construction firms should be motivated by the direct benefits of ICT and draw deliberate policies that provide some proportion xvi of their internal budget for ICT investments and that financial institutions can assist building contractors in Kenya to finance their ICT investment by offering flexible credit facilities to firms seeking to invest in ICT. Construction client may support contractors upon request, to procure ICT facilities for their contracts as a means to support efficiency and collaboration on their projects. This will be deducted on installments from their progress payments. ICT skill acquisition should also be incorporated in construction courses as a supplement to technical knowledge and expertise in various fields of construction study. There should also be a closer cooperation between ICT technology developers and contractors to train professional and also develop ICT systems that will address the specific operational needs of Kenyan contractors. Construction customers/clients should also take into account the contractors ICT technological capabilities as a criterion for selection. Clients could often mandate the use of specific ICT technologies on their project, for instance, tendering on-line, specifying project control technologies such as scheduling tools, cost control systems, and communication systems such as email and project webs. This could boost the potential for competitive advantage through the use of ICT technology in the building firms and to an extent compel construction firms to work towards higher ICT adoption to remain competitive and relevant