Effects of knowledge, experience and coordinationon cost certainty for structural engineering designs of high-rise building projectsin Nairobi, Kenya

Clients are increasingly demanding a high degree of cost certainty from their project design teams to ensure that their building projects are completed within the budgeted resources. However, this objective has been negated by various challenges that unfortunately cause budget overruns. This study investigated the effects of experience and project management skills on Change Orders for Structural Engineering High-Rise Buildings in Nairobi County, Kenya. Data was collected from 150 consulting Civil Engineers drawn from the Engineers Board of Kenya register using a web-based structured questionnaire. Analysis of variance and Chi-square tests showed that coordination and experience directly correlated to cost certainty at 5% confidence level. Design coordination significantly helped to narrow gaps for cost certainty as well enhancing better understanding of the project scope. The level of professional experience was found to be critical for problem solving, effective use of design software, quality control of design and documentation and integration. Therefore, professional experience and coordination played a critical role in the reduction of cost overruns during the construction of high-rise buildings in Nairobi.