Satisfaction of Public Clients' Patronage of Construction Contractors in Nigeria

Abstract

The choice of a proper contractor increases the chance of successful completion of the construction project which fulfills the client’s goals of keeping the schedule of the cost, time and quality thereby enhancing satisfaction. This research seeks to determine the areas of satisfaction expected by public clients from local and foreign contractors in Nigeria. Primary data were collected through the administration of questionnaire to the government parastatals and ministries in Lagos state. The data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using frequency tables, Mean Item Score and Mann-Whitney (U-test) test. The study revealed that public clients derive more satisfaction from foreign contractors than their local counterpart in the areas of quality performance and standard of workmanship while more satisfaction is derived from local contractors than their foreign counterparts in the areas of time and cost performance. The study also concluded that the considerations by public client in choosing the contractors determine the satisfaction derived from the project. The research suggests that local contractors should embark on measures that will improve their quality performance and standard of workmanship in order to stop the preference given to foreign contractors.