Purpose

The inaccuracy of preliminary estimates sometimes results in wasted development effort if the project is abandoned. To curb this menace, this study aims to assess the different measures to improve the accuracy of road project estimates.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research design was used for this study, and questionnaire was designed to retrieve data from the target population. Engineers and quantity surveyors in Accra, Ghana formed the target population and were contacted by using an e-questionnaire through their professional bodies owing to location constraints. Descriptive and exploratory factor analyses were used in analysing the retrieved data. Mann–Whitney U non-parametric test was also used to compare the opinions of the respondents.

Findings

The study revealed that factors categorised as due diligence by estimator should be given more attention for accuracy of estimates to be improved.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to Accra, Ghana owing to time and distance constraint.

Practical implications

Proper consideration must be given to preliminary site investigation when preparing the estimates for road projects. This will provide the estimator with information on the physical features of the project environment.

Originality/value

Defined clusters of measures to improve estimate accuracy as highlighted in this study rather than merely ranked variables which are done by previous research studies will set the tone and provide insights for effective stakeholders’ actions. The study also bridges the gap between theory and practice by outlining how the findings can be implemented practically to achieve more accurate preliminary estimate for road projects. With efforts aligned with the core characteristics of each cluster, accuracy can be improved.

中文翻译：

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提高加纳建筑行业道路工程估算的准确性

目的

如果放弃该项目，初步估算的不准确性有时会导致开发工作的浪费。为了遏制这种威胁，本研究旨在评估提高道路工程估算准确性的各种措施。

设计/方法/方法

定量研究设计用于该研究，问卷设计用于从目标人群中检索数据。加纳阿克拉的工程师和工料测量师确定了目标人群，由于地点限制，他们通过其专业机构与电子问卷联系了他们。描述性和探索性因素分析用于分析检索到的数据。Mann–Whitney U非参数检验还用于比较受访者的意见。

发现

该研究表明，应将更多的注意力放在估算者归类为尽职调查的因素上，以提高估算的准确性。

研究局限/意义

由于时间和距离的限制，本研究仅限于加纳的阿克拉。

实际影响

在准备道路工程预算时，必须适当考虑初步的现场调查。这将为估算者提供有关项目环境的物理特征的信息。

创意/价值

如本研究中所强调的，为提高估计准确性而定义的一系列措施，而不是仅仅由先前的研究完成的排名变量，将为基层利益相关者的行动定调并提供见解。这项研究还概述了如何实际实施调查结果，以实现道路项目更准确的初步估算，从而弥合了理论与实践之间的鸿沟。通过与每个群集的核心特征保持一致的努力，可以提高准确性。