Integration of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Within Nigeria's Traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) Public Procurement System
DOI:
10.29303/alexandria.v7i2.1863Published:
2026-09-30Downloads
Abstract
This study examines the integration of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) within Nigeria's traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) public procurement system. It responds to persistent performance challenges in Nigeria's public construction sector, particularly cost overruns, delays, adversarial relationships, poor buildability, and limited innovation, by examining how ECI can be integrated within the existing Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007 framework. Adopting a qualitative case study design, the study drew data from 30 senior stakeholders, including public-sector clients, contractors, consultants, and legal and academic experts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The findings indicate that the fragmented and sequential nature of DBB contributes to cost escalation, prolonged delays, claims-oriented relationships, poor buildability, and restricted innovation. The major drivers of ECI integration include improved cost and schedule certainty, collaborative risk management, enhanced buildability, and value engineering, while key barriers include the legal emphasis on open competitive bidding, lowest responsive bid selection, and existing institutional constraints. On the basis of these findings, the study proposes a PPA-compliant two-stage framework for integrating ECI within Nigeria's existing public procurement regime. The study concludes that the strategic application of ECI principles within the current legal framework can provide a practical pathway for improving value for money, strengthening collaboration, reducing transactional inefficiencies, and promoting more effective project delivery in Nigeria's public construction sector.
Keywords:
Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Design-Bid-Build (DBB) Public Procurement Risk Management Buildability Value EngineeringReferences
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