Building Resilience in the face of Economic Uncertainty: Pathways for Sustainability in the Professional Roles of Quantity Surveyors

Abstract

Building resilience, driving innovation, and promoting growth in Quantity Surveying is a necessary and unavoidable knee-jerk reaction to the uncertainty, volatility, and turbulence being experienced in the Nigerian economy. The uncertainty, volatility, and turbulence being experienced in the Nigerian economy are further amplified by global trends and shifts in international policies underlain by environmental sustainability issues bordering on Climate Change and Resource scarcity. Particularly, policies on climate change are influencing practices across industries, including construction, which mostly relies on deploying the earth’s finite resources. Given the finite nature of the earth’s resources, there is a growing emphasis on the patterns of material consumption in construction, with an increasing emphasis on using materials that are renewable, recyclable, or have a lower environmental impact. The onus thus lies on Quantity surveyors to take decisive action to adapt and build resilience in their professional practice, as a just-in-time response, needed to survive the turbulent economic uncertainty of Nigeria and align with global policy changes. To build resilience in the face of the conundrum of uncertainties and changes implies that Quantity Surveying professionals, including those in academics, private practice, government, and industry must consider the environmental impact of materials and methods used in their projects. This paper seeks to address these issues and proffer pathways for unlocking the Potential of Quantity Surveying in Sustainability, Environmental Stewardship, and Social Responsibility.