Digital poverty in quantity surveying practice

Background: Digitalization has profoundly impacted the construction sector, offering tools and technologies that promise increased efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration. Nevertheless, the integration of these digital solutions, notably Building Information Modeling (BIM), can be impeded by a set of fundamental barriers known as enablers of digital poverty. These enablers encompass a range of challenges that quantity surveyors face in Lagos State when attempting to embrace BIM and other digital tools. Objective: The objective of this study is to pinpoint, classify, and assess the factors that enable digital poverty when it comes to implementing BIM within the community of quantity surveyors in Lagos State, Nigeria. By understanding these enablers, stakeholders can develop targeted strategies to alleviate digital poverty and promote digital inclusion in the field of quantity surveying. Methods: A quantitative research method was utilized, employing a questionnaire survey to collect information from quantity surveyors in Lagos State. The questionnaire used in the study was designed to collect demographic data and evaluate the factors contributing to digital poverty. The collected data were analyzed using the mean item score and subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to uncover hidden groups or patterns among these contributing factors. Results: The EFA exposed five distinct clusters of enablers of digital poverty: Exploration Enablers—Factors related to creating an enabling environment for digital adoption, including limited financial resources, inadequate institutional arrangements, and lack of awareness; Incognizant Enablers—Factors reflecting a lack of knowledge and awareness, such as erratic power supply and insufficient government support; Compliance Enablers—Factors associated with the challenges of complying with new digital practices, including resistance to change from traditional methods and the scarcity of BIM specialists; Infrastructural Enablers—Challenges linked to infrastructure, including high costs of investment and software/hardware upgrades; and Automation Enablers—Factors related to the adoption of automated processes, such as an unsupportive organizational culture, lack of experience and knowledge, and inadequate support from senior management. Conclusion: This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the enablers of digital poverty in BIM implementation among quantity surveyors in Lagos State. It highlights the multifaceted characteristics of these challenges and underscores the importance of addressing them to promote digital inclusion and leverage the advantages of digital technologies within the construction sector. The identified enablers can serve as a foundation for policymakers, organizations, and communities to develop targeted interventions aimed at reducing digital poverty and fostering a digitally inclusive environment for quantity surveyors in Lagos State.