Performance of traditional and direct labour procurement methods using selected projects in the Nigerian Army

The study examined the performance of the two project procurement methods often employed by the Nigerian Army. The objective was to find out if one has any advantage over the other. Project success determinants like cost, time and quality formed the basis for evaluation and comparison of the performance of the two methods. Thirty completed building projects made up of ten new buildings and twenty renovation works were examined. Comparison was done based on similarity of projects specifically, the magnitude of work, the type and specifications of work. Fifteen projects made up of ten renovation works and five new projects were thus considered for analysis for each of the two procurement methods compared. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in the quality of projects procured using either of the two procurement methods. Further results also indicate that in terms of cost overrun, there is no significant difference between the two. It was however discovered that overall cost and unit cost of projects were higher for those procured using the traditional contract system. It was also discovered that significant difference does exist between time overruns in the two methods. Projects procured using the direct labour method took more time. The study concludes that there is the need for continuous training and exposure of the in- house professionals to improve their proficiency and efficiency to further enhance the quality of their products and improve upon the time taken to execute them.